The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou
by QueenAurora
Summary: After Hiccup left Berk with Toothless, knowing he wouldn't be able to kill the dragon, he found a new place for himself. Ten years later he returns to Berk, but if you want to read how that goes, I suggest you read Return of the Dragon Rider. This is a collection of stories of what happened in those ten years before he returned to Berk.
1. Finding Night Fury Island, Part I

_Before you start, let me say this: if you are looking for a mushy reunion between Hiccup and his father, you should not read this. Stoick will not play a role in this, neither will Astrid or the rest of Berk. It's focused on Hiccup's and Toothless' adventures after they left Berk. If you want the reunion, read Return of the Dragon Rider, which happens after these ten years._

_This is a collection of stories which describes Hiccup's adventures after he left Berk with Toothless. Directly connected to my Fan fiction Return of the Dragon Rider. You can read this first, or after you read ROTDR, it doesn't matter, but some of the characters I have used here are introduced in ROTDR and if you fully want to understand them, read that first._

_Aaaaannnyyhoooowwww, now that I have said that, on to the stories. As said before, this will be a collection of stories varying in length. Some will be mere one-shots, while other's will have multiple chapters, referred to as parts. Some of the stories will contain violence and blood, but that will be clearly indicated._

_Alright! As promised, my dear readers, here is The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou. It has arrived! Let me know what you think! (and I'm still open for ideas, but no promises)_

_Coverart is made by the __wonderful TheWaffleMaker! Credit goes to her._

_Lot's of text. Onto the first story._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part I**

Hiccup opened his eyes, blinking at the light. He lay for a moment, staring at the blue sky above him, then he got up. He yawned and stretched his body, rubbing his eyes. Then he sighed and turned around, looking at the dragon he had used as a pillow. He poked the beast, eliciting a low growl.

'Come on Toothless, time to get up.'

The dragon grumbled a response and moved away from the boy, covering his eyes with his paw.

'Toothless! Come on, get up you lazy lizard.'

The only response he got was a low wail and the dragon curled up even more. He sighed, staring at his companion with his hands in his side. Every morning would be the same. But it was a good thing that after seven months he knew what to do. He picked a fish from the net and waved it in front of the dragon's nose. The black scaled nose wrinkled in delight when the dragon smelled the fish and two green eyes opened, staring at the fish.

'Time to get up.'

Slowly, the dragon uncurled, stretching every muscle in his body, arching his back and yawning widely. The he sat down, his tail curled around his paws, wings hanging limply at his side, looking at the boy. Hiccup smiled and tossed him the fish. The dragon gulped down the fish, sheeting it's teeth when the creature was gone.

He watched as Hiccup rolled up his bed roll and blanket and put them back on the saddle. As soon as the boy had eaten and everything was packed, dragon and boy took to the sky again.

It had been seven months after they had left Berk, and while he had some trouble adjusting to living in the wild at first, Hiccup thought he had done fairly well. He had become quite good with a bow and was able to shoot his own food, though he mostly ate the fish Toothless caught for him.

He was becoming used to flying all day, no longer sore after being on the dragon's back for hours. Even on the move he had worked on improving his suit and the saddle. They had also practiced some stunts together, most of them involving Hiccup jumping of the dragon's back and free falling until Toothless decided he had gone far enough and caught him again.

He didn't have much contact with other people, seeing as they avoided villages for as much as they could, unless he needed something he couldn't get on his own, like arrowheads and gears for Toothless' prosthetic tailfin. He had found that most people were willing to trade those items for some small labor, or willing to let him use their resources to make them himself.

He had exchanged his clothes for a mostly leather suit, much more suitable to withstand rain and storm, although he still wore his green tunic underneath and still had his fur lined boots. He had his fur vest tucked in the saddlebag, but now he only wore it when he went into town.

He let out a long sigh as they were flying above the clouds, leaning back on the dragon. Toothless crooned and turned his head to look at the boy.

'I'm okay bud. Just thinking, where should we go next?'

The dragon wailed loudly, shaking his head.

'Yeah... you're right. It doesn't matter really. We could just fly I suppose. You decide where we go today Toothless.'

The dragon crooned and changed direction. Hiccup closed his eyes, thinking back on the last few months.

He was sixteen now. He had celebrated his birthday with Toothless a few months ago. The dragon hadn't understood the concept of "birthday", but he had somehow gotten him a present anyway. A smile spread on his face as he remembered that day. He had woken up feeling a little down. The dragon had tried anything to cheer him up, and it had resulted in a crazed flight through the clouds, chasing seagulls and hunting fish. At the end of the day they had been exhausted and they had landed on a small rocky island. There Hiccup had tried to explain to Toothless the meaning of birthdays, but the dragon had just looked at him blankly, obviously missing the point. After watching the sunset, like they usually did, Hiccup had fallen asleep under the dragons wings. The next morning, Toothless had given Hiccup the surprise of his life.

When he had woken up, the dragon had been gone. He had searched the entire island, knowing the dragon couldn't possibly take off without him. After a few hours of frantic searching, he had been on the edge of panic when the dragon had come out of the water, something in his mouth. After scolding the dragon, nearly in tears, he had asked what he had in his mouth. Toothless had dumped a bow and a quiver with arrows on the ground, cocking his head while he looked at his friend.

Hiccup had been utterly speechless. He had stared at the dragon, not quite comprehending what had just happened. Then it dawned on him. Toothless had swam back to the land they had seen yesterday and the village nestled on the rocks. He must have sneaked into the village and taken the bow.

'Toothless... I... Did you just steal this?'

The dragon wailed and shook his head. He bit at the saddle and now Hiccup saw one of the saddlebags was missing, and his jaw had dropped even more.

The dragon knew _trade_?

He had sunk on the ground, his hands over his mouth, tears burning in his eyes. Toothless had crooned concerned, afraid he had done something wrong and Hiccup had laughed through his tears, hugging his friend tightly.

That bow was the first gift he was ever given on any of his birthdays, and he carried it with pride.

He was shaken from his memories when Toothless crooned. He sat up, stretching his arms. Then he looked around. The clouds were grey and he couldn't see a thing.

'Toothless, a little lower bud, I can't see.'

Obediently, the dragon ducked under the clouds. They were over the ocean, the water stretching in every direction.

'Where are we? Toothless?'

The dragon crooned softly and Hiccup frowned. There was an island ahead of them, or at least that's what it looked like.

'Well, looks like we found where we will sleep tonight, right bud?'

The dragon wailed and ducked down towards the island, setting down on a small beach. They looked around, quickly scanning the environment. It looked clear and Hiccup slid of the dragon, still cautious. He walked a little closer to the treeline. The sun had set already and it was dark. Scanning the trees, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched, but the shadows were to dark to see anything.

He turned back to Toothless, but before he could say anything, a hand clasped over his mouth. He uttered a muffled cry, but there were more figures on the beach. They had already secured the dragon before he could even blink, binding the dragon effectively.

He fought the hands holding him, but his small frame was no match for the big man holding him. Another grabbed his wrists and bound them quickly. He cried out when the rope bit his skin. Toothless wailed loudly, but the sound was cut off when one of the dark figures threw a rope around the dragons jaws, securing them shut. Then the man started to pull the dragon off the beach, dragging him along by the ropes all around his black body.

Hiccup pulled the ropes, desperately trying to get to Toothless, but he was pulled in the opposite direction.

'Toothless! No, let me go! Toothless!'

But strong hands pulled him away from the dragon, mercilessly dragging him across the sand. He kept struggling and fighting the ropes and the hands that held him, panic swirling around his heart. For the first time he realized how small and helpless he really was. He couldn't even save his friend. For the first time he regretted leaving Berk.

Something hard collided with the back of his head, sending him flying to the ground. He blinked a few times, trying to avoid loosing consciousness, but shrieked when a boot collided with his ribs. He was hit on the head again, still gasping from the kick, and the last thing he felt were hands lifting him from the ground. Then the world went black.


	2. Finding Night Fury Island, Part II

_As I said, I will update what I'm inspired for. But since this is so early, I might be able to update ROTDR as well today... hmmm... Keep your eyes peeled readers, who knows._

_There is a list with my OC's on my profile, per LunarNightDreamer's request._

_So, this is kinda... angsty... I'm sorry in advance, but this chapter contains violence and torture. So yeah... not for the faint hearted. And not for people who are in love with little, adorable Hiccup, because he does get hurt._

_Keep reviewing and tell me what you think._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part II**

Pain.

That was the first thing he felt.

Pain that split his head in two.

He groaned, carefully opening his eyes. It was dark around him. He sat up, looking around the room. The only light came from a small window high in the wall. He stood up, shaking on his legs. His ribs hurt from the kick and his head was spinning. He stumbled, falling back against the wall. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. It was just dark.

He let his hands glide over the wall. He felt rough stones. He was slowly starting to panic. It was clear to him he was in a prison cell, but he had no idea where he was. And worst of all, he had no idea where Toothless was either.

'H... hello? I... is any one there? Hello?'

His voice echoed within the walls, disappearing quickly, the small sound not even lingering. No answer came. He called out again, a little louder, the sound dispersing just as quickly. It was like the walls absorbed the sound, never letting it leave the room. He backed up until he felt the rough stones scrape his back through his tunic. They had taken his suit, along with every weapon he had.

He curled up in the corner, his hands covering his head. Tears were silently falling and fear was clawing at his heart.

Where was he?

Where was Toothless?

What had they done to him?

What where they planning?

What did they want?

_Who _were _they?_

He had no idea how long he had been left in the dark and his head shot up when the door opened. The light that poured in stung his eyes, and when the initial blindness faded he saw a man standing in the doorway. Before he could say anything, the man came in and grabbed his wrist, hauling him to his feet. He yelped when the man painfully twisted his arm behind his back, before pulling the other one behind his back as well and tying his wrists. He was then pushed out of the cell into a long hallway. He was pushed towards a door, the man now had his neck in a painfully tight grasp.

'Where are you taking me? What do you want?'

His voice was shaking with tears and tight with fear. The man didn't answer him, but shoved him through the door into another room. This one was dimly lit by torches on the wall and a singe fire in the middle of the room. His eyes grew wide.

This was a torture room. There was no doubt about it.

There was old blood all over the walls, fresher stains covering older ones. There was a table to the left, all kinds of knifes, branding irons and whips thrown across is.

His breath caught in his throat when the man dragged him to the wall opposite of the door, to a pair of metal shackles. He struggled, trying to get away, but he was too small and too weak to even stand a chance.

'Pl... please... If... if this is b... because I landed on your beach, j... just give me Toothless and we'll go... promise...'

The man hit him over the head and he shrieked. His wrists were untied, but were quickly locked in the shackles and secured above his head. Then he was left alone, his entire body shaking. He was terrified, even more so than on the days Snotlout had cornered him to beat him up. He felt tears burn again and didn't bother to contain them this time. Even in this position, chained to a wall, unable to move his arms, there was only one thing he really feared.

What had they done with Toothless?

He couldn't stand the thought of losing his best friend, the only friend he ever had, the one that gave him his freedom. Without Toothless, he would be stranded here, left to the mercy of these men he didn't know.

Then a terrifying new thought found it's way into his mind. What if these men had already killed the dragon? And what if they weren't planning on killing him, but selling him into slavery? He had come across some slaveships, always steering clear, but he knew what it would mean to be sold into slavery. He would be stripped of everything he was, his entire identity would be lost and any hope he had of ever returning to Berk would be lost.

His breathed started to become ragged, his breaths coming out as shorts gasps, fogging in the cold air. He didn't know how long he stood, trembling, waiting and he almost screamed when the door opened.

It was a different man this time, ragged red hair poking in every direction. He stared at him with cold, dark eyes before he stepped in, closing the door behind him. Hiccup backed up against the wall, as if he was trying to disappear into it, but the stones were hard and unyielding, just like the chains around his wrists.

The man stopped just in front of him. He was at least twice as tall and four times as wide as the small boy in front of him and Hiccup stared up at him with wide open eyes.

'W... what do you want f... from me...?'

His voice was no more then a trembling whisper, and the man suddenly lashed out, striking his head hard. Hiccup shrieked when his head collided with the wall behind him and lights exploded behind his eyes. The man grabbed his neck, lifting him from the ground, asking something in a strange language he didn't understand.

And even if he understood, he couldn't answer. His airflow was cut off as he dangled in the mans grasp, his back scraping the wall and soon he was gasping for breath, his lungs screaming for air. Just when he thought he would die, the man let go and he fell, stopped by the chains. The man must have pulled them tighter, raising him higher because his feet no longer touched the ground. He could only gasp at the flash of pain that shout through his arms and shoulders when the chains jolted him to a halt.

The man asked his question again and when he didn't get an answer, drove his fist in Hiccup's stomach, driving out every bit of air he had just sucked in again. The jolt send a new flash of pain through his wrists and shoulders. The man grabbed his jaw, turning his head from side to side before slamming it into the wall again. The pain exploded with so much force he thought his head had exploded, but he didn't have much time to think about it. Blackness surrounded him once more, and he almost welcomed it.

0-0-0-0-0-0

He woke up with a jolt, gasping at the pain in his head and chest. When his vision cleared he saw he was still in the torture room, still hanging from the wall. The man was nowhere to be found and the fire had gone out, leaving only the torches. He let out a small whimper when he tried to move and only succeeded in sending another flash of pain through his wrists.

Suddenly the door opened, revealing the same red haired man as before. Immediately fear caught his throat, but the man unchained him, tying his hands again and shoving him out the door. His arms felt like they were on fire and his legs were shaking from being in that position for gods know how long. He was dragged through the hallway, barely able to keep up with the man, who didn't seem to care his prisoner would stumble every few steps.

He was dragged outside, onto a small courtyard. And in the middle of that courtyard stood a cage.

'Toothless! Toothless...'

Tears flowed down his cheeks, both relieved to see the dragon alive and afraid of what they would do. The dragon tried to make a sound, but his mouth was secured tightly, allowing only muffled sounds. After a few moment he was dragged away again, the dragon frantically trying to break free from the ropes and chains holding him. Hiccup fought the man with all his strength, planting his heels in the ground, but the man was too strong for him. Suddenly the dragon howled in pain and fear flooded him. What were they doing to him? He tried to turn his head, but the iron grip the man had on his neck prevented any movement and he was simply dragged along when he refused to walk.

He was thrown back in the cell, shoved hard through the door after his hands had been untied. He collided with the wall, shrieking at the pain it caused in his shoulder. He quickly stumbled back to the door, throwing his entire weight into it.

'No! Let me out! Toothless!'

He banged the door until his hands were bleeding and he was exhausted, tears were flowing down his face and he curled up in the corner next to the door, his head pressed against his knees. Fir the first time he longed for home. Even if he had been beaten up by Snotlout, ignored by everyone including his father, he had been left alone. This, this was just a nightmare.

After a while, he started to get a vague sense of time. He would be taken to that room, chained to the wall and beaten by that red haired man and then he would be taken back and left in the cell. If he was right about the days, he had been here a week now. He was sure his entire body was bruised, his ribs most likely broken. The man never used any of his tools on him, probably afraid he would kill him.

Right now he lay curled up in the corner, the cold stone painfully hard against the bruises on his skin. His mouth was dry, the last time he had been given water was two days ago and he hadn't eaten since he got here. It had been so perfect after he had left Berk. Sure, it had been hard finding food, shelter, but he had Toothless. He had been free. He hadn't really thought about home for seven months, now he wished he had stayed.

His head shot up when the door opened and he whimpered when it revealed the red-haired man. He tried to hide in the dark, but the man walked towards him and dragged him to his feet, pinning him to the wall. The man asked his question, but Hiccup still didn't understand him. The man threw him on the ground and he started to crawl away, only to be dragged back.

He had learned it was the same question the man kept asking, he had started to recognize the words, but not their meaning. The man kicked him again, his heavy boot connecting with his ribs and he cried out, tears starting flowing down his face. This wasn't how it usually went. He had been brought back to his cell no more than a few hours ago, the man shouldn't be here. But then again, he was a prisoner, they could do whatever they wanted.

The man threw him against the wall and left, slamming the door shut. Hiccup curled up where he had landed on the floor, his arms around his chest. All he wanted now was his bed, his own bed back on Berk.

The door swung open again and when he looked up, he gasped. The man had come back, holding a sword. He came closer, a menacing look in his eyes, the sword clenched firmly in his hand. Hiccup tried to back up, but was stopped by the wall. The sword swung in his direction, but despite his weakened state he managed to dodge the blow and he made a run towards the door.

A sharp pain exploded in his back and send him to the floor, screaming and writhing at the hot flashing pain that now controlled his body. A shadow towered over him and he knew that the man was going to kill him.

There was a loud shriek and a _BOOM_ in the distance. He heard screaming and suddenly the door slammed open, revealing a black dragon growling with teeth bared.

'Toothless...'

He couldn't manage more than a whisper before his voice gave out. The dragon fired a plasmablast at the man, sending him through the wall. Then he was next to Hiccup with a single jump. He nudged his shoulder, sending a flash of pain through his back and he choked back a cry. Toothless wailed and pressed down low on the ground next to him. With his last bit of strength he managed to get in the saddle. As soon as he was, the dragon shot out of the cell, running towards the door that led to freedom.

Hiccup was biting his lip to keep from crying out as every movement from the dragon caused agonizing pain and focused on getting the tailfin in the right position. Finally the blasted through the door and Toothless spread his wings. One jump and a _click l_ater they were in the air, the island disappearing quickly. As soon as they were save, he leaned forward on the dragon, taking short quick breaths to avoid too much pain. Toothless wailed again, clearly worried about his friend.

They had flown for hours already and he was fighting unconsciousness. He needed to stay awake to control the tail, he couldn't fall asleep. But he was so tired... his entire body hurt, he had no idea what his back looked like, but he knew there was a bleeding wound. He had felt the blood run down his back, although it had now dried into an itchy crust.

Toothless crooned and he lifted his head from the dragon's black scales. There was an island in front of them, but it looked completely different from the one they came from. Beaches with white sand bordered the island, the ocean seemed azure blue. Almost the entire island was covered in trees, the many shades of green blending to one blanket of colours.

'T... Toothless...'

His head fell back on the dragons neck. Toothless shot down on the beach, landing a little hard on the sand. Hiccup was flung from his back as they rolled through the sand and he screamed when he felt the wound reopen. Toothless was at his side instantly, crooning softly and gently nudging him. He tried to get up, but all his strength had left him and he couldn't move. The dragon wailed loudly and then he felt teeth close around his ankle. Very careful not to bite his foot off the dragon dragged him across the beach. Hiccup didn't struggle, but he was glad he was on his stomach and not his back.

He was gently dragged into a small cave like opening in the rocks and he curled up as soon as the dragon let go of his foot. Toothless curled up behind him as close as he could and he felt the heat from the dragon's body seep through his clothes.

He relaxed as much as his beaten body allowed him to, inhaling sharply at every little movement. He stared onto the beach, the waves crashing on the sand providing an pleasant background noise and he allowed it to hush him to sleep.


	3. Finding Night Fury Island, Part III

_Alright, no chapter 50 yet. Maybe, just maybe I will be able to finish that tonight, but I just had to post this first. I had already finished anyway, so why keep it from you any longer, right?_

_Part III! Much positive feedback already, thank you guys. Keep it up!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part III**

He groaned and tried to open his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. The movement send a flash of pain down his back and he stifled a cry. There was a voice, speaking to him in a language he couldn't understand. He opened his eyes, blinking at the light. There was a boy in front of him, looking at him with worry. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. The boy was about his age, with black hair and strange eyes. His right was green, while his left was blue. He said something, but again he couldn't understand him.

'Where... where am I?'

The boy in front of him frowned. It was clear he didn't understand him. He tried to get up, but cried out when the pain shot through his back. The boy reached out to him, but Toothless suddenly growled, stepping in front of his friend. The other boy stumbled back, falling on the ground. Before he could do anything, a white dragon appeared. His eyes grew wide. Not only was the dragon protecting the boy, it was a Night Fury. A white Night Fury.

The boy pushed the dragon aside, stretching his hand out towards the black dragon standing over his injured friend. Toothless had lost his menacing look the moment he saw the other Night Fury staring back at him. He looked from the outstretched hand to Hiccup, then back to the hand. After deciding the boy was no threat, he pushed his nose in the boy's hand, crooning softly. Then he stepped aside, stepping out of the small cave, never taking his eyes of his young rider.

0-0-0-0-0-0

A boy was running along the beach, screaming as he was chased by a dragon. The white Night Fury who was running after him growled and jumped him. The water splashed high as the boy was pinned down by the dragon, a paw on his chest. For a moment, dragon and boy stared at each other, then the dragon opened her mouth. The boy's eyes widened in fear as he stared into the dragon's throat. Then the dragon started licking him, her tongue scraping over his face. The boy screamed and twisted under her paw, trying to push the dragon off his chest. After she had made sure his entire face was covered in saliva, she let go of him, plopping into the water.

'Dammit Snowflake, that's disgusting, you know that!'

A loud rumble escaped the dragon's throat, as she was looking at the boy who was washing his face in the ocean. He glared at her through his fingers, then he jumped at her. The dragon allowed herself to be pushed back, so that the boy was sitting across her chest. She looked at him, smiling a gummy, toothless smile. The boy looked back, a grin creeping across his face.

'This calls for revenge.'

He let a slimy trail of drool dangle from his lips, nearly touching the dragon's nose. The dragon thrashed in his grasp, but not enough to fling the boy off her chest and possibly hurt him. She wailed loudly as the spit hit her nose, but it only resulted in her getting it in her mouth. She gently pushed the boy off her, huffing as she shook her nose.

'See? That's how disgusting it is.'

The dragon growled as she ducked her nose in the water. The boy got up, shaking his head, water flying from his black hair. He walked back onto the beach and sighed, looking at the sky.

'It will be dark soon, we best get back.'

He looked at the dragon, shaking herself dry and smiled. He turned around, looking for the bow he had dropped earlier and found it lying further onto the beach. He went over to pick it up, but when he turned back to his dragon, he frowned. There were footprints in the sand. And not just any footprints. They looked like Night Fury tracks, and the dragon had been dragging something beside him.

Going against better judgement to never engage a wild Night Fury, he started following the tracks. They led further onto the beach, into a small cave. When he peered inside, his eyes widened.

There was a boy inside.

The boy was lying on his left side, his back turned to the backside of the cave. He didn't look much older than himself. His auburn hair was covering his face, and his clothes looked torn and dirty. He was wearing a green tunic, brown pants and fur lined boots. The boy had curled up into a fetal position, his hands tucked under his chin. He reached out to the kid, and gently shook his shoulder.

'Kid? Hey, kid? You alright?'

The boy shifted and moaned. He opened his eyes, blinking up at him, confusion written all over his face.

'Something wrong? Can I help?'

The boy just stared at him, before speaking himself. He frowned. He couldn't understand the kid. The boy tried to push himself up into a sitting position, but suddenly cried out in pain. As soon as he reached out to him, his hand was nearly bitten off by an adult Night Fury, growling threateningly. He stumbled back, falling onto the sand, staring at the beast. His own dragon jumped in front of him, growling at the intruder. The Night Fury's eyes widened in surprise as soon as he saw the other dragon. After pushing the white dragon aside, he inched closer to the other one, his hand stretched out towards him.

'It's okay. I won't hurt your friend. I'm trying to help. Please, you can trust me.'

After hesitating for a moment, looking from the boy back to him, he pushed his nose in the outstretched hand, crooning softly. Then he stepped aside, allowing the other boy to step into the cave. He knelt next to the kid. He had cried out in pain, but he couldn't see any visible wounds. Granted, the cave was rather dark and he couldn't really see anything. Which explained how he had failed to see the dragon. He grabbed the boy's shoulder, but pulled back as he felt a sticky substance. When he looked at his fingers, he saw blood. Fear crept into his heart. The kid was injured. Carefully, he grabbed his shoulder again, turning him over on his stomach. The boy moaned when the movement undoubtedly caused pain.

There was a large gash running along his back, from his right shoulder to his left hip.

'Someone got ya good, didn't they?'

The boy didn't answer. He just lay on the sand, sobbing silently.

'Alright. I know you can't understand me, but I am going to help you. I just have to get you back to Dragoncity. Shouldn't be too hard, considering the fact that there are two dragons out there. It will hurt, however.'

The boy lifted his head, cringing at the pain and whispered something in his strange language.

'I'm sorry kid, I have no idea what you're saying.'

He sighed and stood up. The little cave was just big enough to stand. When he turned around, he felt a small hand grab his ankle. When he looked back, he found that the boy had gripped his boot and was staring up at him with pleading eyes.

'Don't worry, I will help you. I just have to stop that bleeding.'

It was a good thing that the saddlebags were waterproof. And it was even better that they were taught from day one to always keep it filled with the necessary items. And it was great that one of those items happened to be bandages. He knelt next to the boy again, bandages in one hand, the canteen with water in the other.

'I'm sorry kid, but this will hurt.'

The boy screamed louder than he had thought possible from such a small child. He had screamed when he poured the water over the wound, washing most of the blood away.

'I'm sorry, I truly am. My name is Wrenlou, by the way. I live in Dragoncity. Well, I don't... We stay in Learners Bay. But we're almost done learning. I am curious though, where in the world did you find and adult Night Fury? Couldn't have been here. I have never seen you before...'

When he finished wrapping the wound, the boy had slipped into unconsciousness again. Wrenlou hauled him up, his hands under the boys arms. He was glad the kid was unconscious, because it must hurt like crazy. He called to his dragon and the white Night Fury was at his side in one jump. As soon as he had the kid on her back he jumped behind him, letting the boy rest against his chest. He looked at the black dragon.

'I'm afraid you have to follow us.'

Snowflake crouched down, her wings spread and ready to take to the sky when the black dragon wailed loudly. Wrenlou frowned, looking at the dragon.

'What?'

The dragon sat down and folded his tail around his paws. Wrenlou squinted, then his eyes widened. He slid of his dragon, careful to keep the boy on her back and walked over to the dragon. He knelt in front of him and took the prosthetic tailfin in his hands. He looked it over, the way it was attached to the dragon's body, the way it moved and frowned.

'Well, this is certainly something I have never seen before. He controls it? How?'

The dragon bit at the stirrup and Wrenlou stood up. When he pressed down on the pedal, the prosthetic fin opened and closed. He sighed.

'Right... so you can't fly without a rider... that could be a problem.'

He bit his lip and looked from Snowflake and the boy slumped over her back to the black dragon and back to Snowflake. Then he stretched a hand out to the black dragon.

'Would you let me try?'

The black dragon cocked his head, ears perked up and a questioning look in his eyes.

'Look, Learners bay is a long distance away if you have to walk. It will be easier if you let me figure out how to work that tailfin, then you can carry me and your rider.'

The dragon looked from the white dragon to him and back, before he trotted over, crouching down, allowing Wrenlou to climb on his back. Snowflake crooned softly as soon as he sat down in the saddle.

'It's okay girl. Just don't move okay?'

The dragon carefully lay down, keeping a watchful eye on the boy on her back. Wrenlou shifted a bit and adjusted the prosthetic, as if to test it. Looking back to the dragon's tail, he found the right position and the dragon spread it's wings.

'Oh gods...' Wrenlou murmured when the dragon took off.

It took him a while, crashing into the sand or the ocean, but after an hour or so, he knew enough to be able to fly the dragon back to Learners bay without crashing. They landed, a bit more civilized than the last few times when they ended up stuck in the sand or tangled in the leather straps of the saddle and slid of the dragon's back.

'Right, okay. Snowflake, fly back to the bay. I will follow.'

The dragon crooned and nudged his shoulder, a concerned look in her eyes.

'Just go, please. I will be fine.'

After she had made sure that he had the boy safely in his arms and his feet in the stirrups to control the tailfin, the white dragon flew off. The black one followed a little slower, careful with the two boys on his back, making sure Wrenlou could keep up with the tailfin.

0-0-0-0-0-0

'Where the hell is he? He always runs off to Gods knows where!'

'Broghan, I'm sure it will be fine. Your brother is one of the most stubborn people I know, he will be fine.'

Broghan shot a glance at the older dragon rider that was their teacher, then turned his eyes to the sky again. He was standing next to his dragon, Moonchaser, looking up at the sky. Next to him were Dale and Starstruck.

Dale was in charge of teaching the kids the ways of the dragon riders, teaching them how to be dragon riders, but not even the greying dragon rider could keep Wrenlou in one place for long. He had given up on trying and although he didn't show it, he was concerned for the safety of his youngest pupil and his white dragon. The boy somehow found trouble every where he went.

'Look!' Leila gasped and Dale followed her finger.

The white dragon was approaching fast, but something seemed wrong. He frowned, eyes widening when the dragon landed.

Wrenlou wasn't on her back.

Immediately he felt worry creep into his heart. What had happened to the boy? The dragon looked fine, no sign of blood or injury anywhere. He approached the wailing Night Fury and placed a hand on her nose.

'Where is your rider girl? Where's Wrenlou?'

The dragon wailed again and turned towards the sky. Dale looked at Starstruck. For the first time he cursed the fact that the dragon was missing half a wing and couldn't fly anymore. The dragon sensed his disgruntlement and came up to him, crooning apologetically.

'Don't worry, it's not your fault.'

'Dale? Should we go look for him?'

The dragon rider sighed, looking at Snowflake. Something in her demeanor was off, but she didn't seem terribly worried. He shook his head.

'Let's give him some time. There have been times he walked back just for the fun of it. If he's not back in an hour, we can go look for him.'

Broghan nodded, not entirely convinced. It was true that Wrenlou sometimes walked back from where ever he went off to, but something felt wrong this time. He looked at Snowflake. The dragon had curled her tail around her paws and her wings tucked against her body. The way she was looking at the sky, waiting patiently, didn't scream trouble. He sighed and sat down on the ground. It was already getting dark, and he was worried.

0-0-0-0-0-0

He felt the air move around him as if they were flying. The pain in his back was still present, but somehow it had dulled out a little. Then he felt something else. A heartbeat under his head. He groaned, shifting a little. He felt a hand on his shoulder and managed to open his eyes. He was staring up at the boy he had seen earlier, his black hair whipping around his face.

'Where... where are we going?'

The boy looked down on him and shook his head before saying something he didn't understand.

'Where's... Toothless?'

A dragon wailed and he turned his head a little, seeing Toothless' green eye stare at him with worry. He managed a small smile before he slipped back into the clutches of unconsciousness.

0-0-0-0-0-0

'Dale!'

The man turned around. Broghan was pointing at the sky. Something was approaching, barely visible against the darkening sky. He squinted, trying to see what is was, then his eyes widened.

'It's a Night Fury.'

Broghan frowned. Night Fury's weren't something special, but the other riders and the wild dragons kept away from the bay. What was this dragon doing here? And what had it to do with Wrenlou? The dragon came swooping in, landing a little hard.

'Wrenlou! Wait... who's that?'

The boy shook his hair out of his face and turned to Dale, still mounted on the dragon.

'I found him on the beach. He's pretty badly injured. I need permission to take him to Dragoncity right away.'

'But.. on the beach? What about the dragon?' Dale gestured to the Night Fury.

'It was protecting him. I think he was riding it. Look, if he's going to survive, he needs to get to Dragoncity now. He's lost a lot of blood and I have no idea how long he had been on the beach. Please, Dale, let me take him to the city.'

The aging dragon rider looked from the boy in Wrenlou's arm to his student and back to the boy. The boy was pale, his breath came ragged, shallow. His face was contorted in pain, his eyes squeezed shut. He was clearly unconscious. He sighed.

'Alright. Take him to Dragoncity. Come straight back when you've dropped him off, understand?'

Wrenlou didn't answer bur shot a glare at the man. Then he called to Snowflake, the white dragon jumping up immediately. Both dragons spread their wings and were gone from sight within moments. Dale sighed, shaking his head.

'Leave it to Wrenlou to find a castaway.'


	4. Finding Night Fury Island, Part IV

_First of all, I want to wish you all a Happy New Year! May the gods protect you all from harm and evil dragons, and I hope that all of you will enjoy the new year we've been given._

_Alright! Onto part IV already. What will happen next? Read and find out... Kinda short chapter, just for you guys. Consider it a New Years gift, from me to you._

_Also, the breaks mean Wrenlou is struggling with the words in Norse. That's all! Nothing more to say!_

_Happy New Year everyone!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part IV**

'NO!'

'Wrenlou! You are going back to the bay right now!'

Wrenlou clenched his jaw, his hands balled to fists. He looked back at the bed and the boy laying in it. He was terribly pale, almost blending in with the sheets. The black dragon was laying next to the bed, his head on the edge. He turned back to the man in front of him.

'I can't leave him! I'm the only face he's seen! And he can't understand our language. I can't just leave him. I saved him!'

'Yes, and it was a noble thing. But you need to go back to the bay. We will take care of him.'

'You don't understand! He's alone, he knows no one! The only one he has ever seen is me! You can't expect me to leave him in a strange city, with strange people he doesn't understand.'

'And you can understand him?'

'Well... no... But I could! He's from the Northern Lands. Their language isn't hard to learn. Please, I need to do this.'

The man sighed, running a hand over his face. 'You've always been strong headed, but this tops everything. You don't know this kid, and you are willing to learn his language just like that? Because you feel sorry for him?'

Wrenlou nodded.

The man shook his head. 'I will discuss it with the council. Until then you can stay here. Your stubbornness is going to get you in trouble one day. Serious trouble.'

With that the man left, flying down to the plaza. As soon as he knew he couldn't see him anymore, a wide smile broke across Wrenlou's face and he turned around. Looking at the boy in the bed, flanked by the dragon, he sighed.

'Right. Library... Snow! Come here girl. We have some books to collect.'

0-0-0-0-0-0

The first thing he was aware of was that he was surrounded by softness and covered with warmth. He was laying on his right side, curled up on what was obviously a bed. He moved a bit. He had expected pain to explode in his body, but it never came. The pain was gone, only a throb reminded him of what had happened.

What had happened?

They had been captured, he remembered that.

They had escaped...

They had found a beach...

There had been a boy... but then what?

Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking at the light. He was in a room, a circular room. He moved his head a little, trying to look around the room. The room itself was white, sparsely decorated, but for some reason there were books all over the floor. He took a deep breath, cringing a little when the movement shot a sudden flair of pain through his limbs. After not moving for a while, the pain subsided again. He now felt the bandages covering his torso and realized that his clothes were gone. His breath caught in his throat for a moment, the he realized that he was just missing his tunic and boots. He relaxed a little and closed his eyes again.

That's when he heard it.

There was a voice in to room with him.

His eyes shot open. Who were they? Were they going to hurt him too? Very carefully, he moved his head around a bit. He noticed a chair and someone was sitting in it. It was a boy, not much older than he was. He was leaning against one armrest, his legs slung over the other. His black hair was falling over his face as he looked down on something in his lap. He was muttering words, barely audible.

He tried to move, but whimpered when pain shot through his back. The boy looked up, and a smile spread across his face when their eyes met. He closed the book he had been reading, putting it on the ground before standing up. He knelt at the bed, still smiling.

'Hey.'

He frowned. Had the boy just spoken Norse? He stared at the kid. It was the same one he had seen on the beach. Short, black hair framed a round face, it's shape similar to his own. The boy had a lanky build, but was tall. The most striking about this boy were his eyes. His right eye was green, while his left eye was blue, it was completely otherworldly.

Otherworldly?

He must be dead. He was in Valhalla now. That was it.

But... he didn't die a warriors death, did he?

'How... how do you... feel?'

He was speaking Norse. Tentatively, the words unfamiliar on his tongue, but he could understand him now.

'I... I don't know...'

The boy smiled. 'My...' He frowned, trying to find the word. 'I am Wrenlou.'

'Name.' Hiccup whispered. 'My name is Hiccup.'

'Name... Hiccup? That's... unusual.'

'What... what happened? How did I get here?'

He tried to sit up, but yelped when the pain hit him again. He squeezed his eyes shut, but they shot open as soon as he felt hands on his shoulders. The boy... no, Wrenlou, helped him sit up, rearranging the pillows so he could lean back.

'I... found you. On the... seashore?'

'Beach. We crashed... Toothless! Where's Toothless?'

Wrenlou chuckled. 'Toothless? His... name is _Toothless_? He's right over there. He... never left your side.'

He gestured to the other side of the room and Hiccup turned his head. The dragon was hidden by the shadows, but two green eyes stared at him.

'Toothless!'

The dragon jumped up and rushed over, almost climbing on the bed, licking his face where ever he could.

'Toothless! That's disgusting! I'm alright bud, I'm alright...'

'He... refused to leave you. He even refused to eat. I guess he was really... worried about you.'

'How long..?'

'Nearly...' Wrenlou was struggling with the word until he finally gave up and held up three fingers.

'Three days?'

'Three... weeks.'

Hiccup's eyes widened. Three weeks? He had been unconscious for _three weeks_?

'But how...'

'You were pretty... badly injured. I don't know who you came across, but they did a number on you, didn't they.'

Hiccup cringed in at the memory of the dark cell and the red-haired man that had beaten him, the question he couldn't understand, the pain...

'Hiccup? Does it... hurt? Are you in pain?'

He looked up at Wrenlou. His eyes met strange colored ones staring back at him with concern. _Real _concern. This kid, who he had just met, was worried about him, _cared _about him. It was a concept he was so unfamiliar with he didn't really know how to react. He turned his head away, feeling tears rise.

'Hiccup?'

There is was again.

Concern.

The same concern that was in Wrenlou's eyes, reflected in his voice. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. As soon as his eyes met Wrenlou's, he couldn't hold back the tears.

He buried his face in his hands, hearing the dragon croon softly. His sobs were shaking his body, sending flashes of pain through his back, which only aggravated his grief. He felt Wrenlou move, moving closer to him, then he felt and arm around his shoulders. At first he flinched at the touch, then he leaned into it.

He felt awkward crying into the shoulder of someone he just met, someone he knew nothing about, other than his name was Wrenlou, but he didn't care. This kid cared for him, actually cared. Slowly, his sobs subsided and when he pulled away from the boy next to him, he found that he was offering a cup of water. He took it, downing the cool clear liquid with one gulp.

'You're not very... used to... affection, are you?'

Hiccup looked up, quickly wiping the tears from his face. He must have had a questioning look on his face because Wrenlou shrugged.

'You flinched. And I... noticed older scars...'

A small sob escaped his lips. He wasn't very used to affection. Or attention. He shook his head.

'No one here will hurt you, promise. Which... brings me to my... previous question. Are you in pain?'

'No... yes...'

'Hang on.'

Wrenlou stood up, walking across the room. Hiccup took a shuddering breath and felt a nudge. Toothless had moved a little closer, staring up at him. Hiccup smiled at the dragon and stroke his nose, a small purr escaped the dragon's throat.

'Here. It doesn't taste very... good, but it helps with the pain. If you can, drink it all in once.'

He took the cup from Wrenlou's hand, looking down in it. The liquid didn't look to bad. After taking a deep breath, he gulped it down, nearly gagging at the taste. It didn't just taste bad, it tasted foul. The now empty cup was replaced with one filled with water and he downed it eagerly. He looked up at Wrenlou, disgust still over his face.

'I know, not the best taste in the world. But it helps, doesn't it?'

Hiccup nodded. The pain he had felt since he had bursted out in tears was gone, once more reduced to a throb.

'Where am I? How do you know my language? Where is the white dragon? What...'

'Whoa hold on. I will... answer all your questions in due time. Right now, you need rest. Tons of it.'

'But... I just woke up...'

'Yes. From... unconsciousness. Now you need to _sleep._ Get some real rest. Don't worry, you're save here. And I will be right here.'

Hiccup said nothing. He stared at his hands and the cup he was still holding. He did feel really tired. He felt like he had run a thousand miles, and then some. But he couldn't sleep! He had so many questions he needed answered. Where was he? Had he really seen a white Night Fury? Was all this even real? Or was this just a figment of his imagination and was he still in that dark cell? He bit his lip and heard a chuckle. When he looked up, he found Wrenlou looking at him, a smile playing around his lips. There was a sparkle in those eyes he hadn't seen before. Wrenlou took the cup from his hands and gently pushed him down. Hiccup didn't struggle and let himself be tucked in.

Wrenlou went back to the chair and picked up the book he had been reading, settling down again, leaning against one armrest, legs slung over the other. Toothless crooned softly and Hiccup turned his head to the dragon, before turning over on his left side so he could face his friend. Whatever the foul tasting liquid had been, it worked wonders. If he didn't move he didn't feel the bandages covering his torso and he could pretend they weren't there. He placed his hand on Toothless' nose, the dragon exhaling slowly, his eyes sliding shut. While listening to the dragon's breathing and Wrenlou's soft murmuring, he too closed his eyes.

It wasn't long before he slept.


	5. Finding Night Fury Island, Part V

_And another chapter! Thank you guys for all the reviews you have given me already, it makes my day reading them!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part V**

He awoke slowly. For a moment he didn't remember where he was, then he felt the soft mattress he was laying and warm blankets covering him. He opened his eyes, almost immediately seeing Toothless' head in front of him. His hand had slid of the scaled nose, now laying next to the dragon. He twitched his fingers a bit, his hand stiff from the sleep, and Toothless opened his eyes.

'Hey bud.'

His voice had been a whisper, a little hoarse from sleep, but the dragon heard him. He wailed softly in response, before giving him a lick across his face. Instantly, Hiccup was wide awake, scurrying away from the dragon, wiping his face.

'Don't you hate it when they do that?'

His head jerked around. He had forgotten about Wrenlou. The boy was still sitting in the chair, his legs pulled up this time, and he was looking at them with amusement. Hiccup nodded and tried to sit up again. Unlike last time, the pain didn't come and he succeeded in getting up. By that time Wrenlou was at his side again, readjusting the pillows.

'Sleep well?'

Hiccup nodded. He had slept well. He had slept deep, without nightmares and he actually felt refreshed.

'Hungry?'

Before he could answer, his stomach answered for him, growling loudly. He could feel his face turning red as he put his hands on his stomach. He now realized he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since he had been captured and that was nearly a month ago! Was it even possible to survive that long without food? Maybe they had forced food down his throat while he had been unconscious or something. Anyway, he was hungry. So he nodded. Wrenlou stood up.

'I'll go see what they have in the Hall. Be right back. Don't move.'

Hiccup watched him go, the door closed softly. Then he sat back, scratching Toothless' chin and looked around the room. It was bigger than he had expected, without windows. To his left there was a curtain drawn over something that looked like a large gap. He frowned, what was that for?

The questions from before came to his mind again. Where was he? Wrenlou did not at all seem afraid of Toothless. And his last comment, _"Don't you hate it when they do that" _, plus the white dragon he had seen before... was Wrenlou a dragon rider? It could explain why Toothless was here with him, and not dead. He had found a beach... but now they were in a city. It had to be a city. He could heard faint voices, sometimes a shadow passed the curtain. And how could Wrenlou speak Norse? When he had first found him, he couldn't understand him. It wasn't possible to learn a language in just three weeks, was it?

He heard the door open and Wrenlou came back, sitting down on the edge of the bed. He handed him a bowl and Hiccup took it, his hands closing around it.

'Try not to upset your stomach.'

Hiccup looked up, taking the spoon Wrenlou offered him. The soup tasted like chicken and was warm, but not hot. The bowl was empty quickly and he licked his lips. He looked up at Wrenlou and held the bowl out to him, silently asking for more.

'I don't think that's a good idea... maybe later.'

Hiccup nodded. He understood. Although he was terribly hungry and the soup only filled so much, it was probably best to not eat too much at once. Wrenlou took the bowl from him, setting it on the ground before crossing his legs on the edge of the bed.

'I think you had questions?'

Hiccup nodded. 'I... I just don't know where to start...' He frowned. 'Where am I?'

Wrenlou smiled widely. 'Dragoncity.'

Hiccup's eyes widened. Did that mean...? 'Dragoncity? Is that...?'

'Alright. Let me start from the beginning. The island you found is called Night Fury Island. As it's name suggests, it's home of the Night Fury's. You won't find them in any other place in the world. Of course you did... find one...'

'Night Fury Island? You mean there's more than one?'

'More than one Night Fury? Yes. There are hundreds Hiccup. Thousands.'

His mind was racing. Thousands? Had they found the place where Toothless belonged after so wondering where he came from for so long? Could it really be here?

'And... Dragoncity?'

'Ah. The city itself was founded almost a thousand years ago by my ancestors. They called it Dragoncity because... well, because... Hiccup, Dragoncity is a city of dragon riders.'

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he was staring at the boy in front of him. Dragon riders? A _whole_ city with _dragon riders_?

'Are you...?'

'A dragon rider? Yes I am. You met my dragon the day we found you, although I'm not sure if you remember that.'

Hiccup nodded. He did remember the white dragon. A white Night Fury.

'Her name is Snowflake. She's the only white Night Fury ever to exist.'

'Tell me more!'

'Okay... About what, exactly?'

'Well... everything. The city, the dragons, tell me about yourself.'

'I guess I could do that. My name is Wrenlou Dreycon, I am seventeen years old, I ride a white, female Night Fury called Snowflake, and I'm not supposed to be here with you.'

'Wait... what? Why not?'

'Right, now it becomes complicated... alright. Let me start with this: there are two cities. Dragoncity, the city of dragon riders and their dragons, and Lightcity, located on one of the other islands in the archipelago. Every one who isn't a dragon rider, lives in Lightcity.'

'But... how would you become a dragon rider?'

'Every five years, when the eggs hatch, the city is given five. Those five dragons choose a rider the moment they hatch. You see, Night Fury's choose their rider, not the other way around. So every five years, every one between the ages of fifteen and twenty are given the chance to become a dragon rider. You can always hope, but ultimately, it's up to the dragons.'

'Okay... but why are you not supposed to be here?'

'I was getting to that. The five new riders and their dragons go to a place called Learners Bay. That's where they learn how to be a rider, what to do and work together with their dragons. It's basically a school. And that's where I should be. At the moment. As in, right now. You see Hiccup, I'm still learning. It takes three years for a Night Fury to mature and be considered an adult, and I was chosen almost three years ago. Two and a half to be exact.'

'But... If you're not supposed to be here, why are you here?'

'They gave me permission to stay with you. I can be really persuasive. And I'm stubborn. Really stubborn. I would have stayed even if they hadn't given me permission.'

'Why? Why would you do that for me? I mean, you didn't even know me, and... and... and...'

He was stammering, unable to find the words to express his surprise. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up.

'I did what I did because it was the right thing to do. I don't know where you came from or why they treated you the way they did, and frankly I don't care. All I know is that when I found you on that beach, you were in need of help. You would have died without it, and I just couldn't let that happen.'

Hiccup took a deep breath. He wasn't really able to fathom all he had just heard. He was on the home island of Night Fury's in a city filled with dragon riders. The one that had helped him, Wrenlou, was a dragon rider himself! The thoughts and words were spinning though his head. His most important question had been answered, he knew where he was now, but he still had questions. He looked up again, his eyes meeting Wrenlou's.

'How do you know my language?'

'Well...' Wrenlou made a gesture to the chair and the books thrown around the room. 'I had a lot of time to read.'

'You learned it by _reading_? Just like that?'

'Languages is something I pick up really fast, and yours wasn't really hard to be honest.'

Hiccup was staring at him in total shock. Wrenlou had defied orders to stay with him. He had learned his language, to be able to talk to him. He cared for him, brought him food, worried when he was in pain. He had done all that, for someone he didn't know. It touched something, deep inside his heart. A feeling he wasn't familiar with. He felt tears burn and immediately Wrenlou's expression changed. He had that same worried look in his eyes he had seen the night before.

'Hiccup? Did I say something wrong?'

Hiccup shook his head, violently wiping the tears from his face. He would not cry, not this time. Toothless crooned softly, concerned and nudged his shoulder gently.

'You did so much for me, and I don't even know you. Where I come from, people... people didn't care about me at all. They just...'

He turned away from the boy in front of him, unwilling to show him his tears. He felt a hand on his back, careful with the bandages and sobbed once. His back... how bad was it? There had to be a wound, had to be. But how bad was it?

'My back... what... how bad...'

'How bad is it?' He turned around to face Wrenlou again and nodded. The other boy sighed. 'There is a large gash all across, from your right shoulder to your left hip. You're lucky to be alive. It will heal, but it will leave a scar.'

Hiccup bit his lip, trying to fight back new tears. He had known it had to be bad, but he never expected it to run all the way across. But the news that it would leave a scar was what hit him the hardest. He would always be reminded of that man now, it would always be visible and if he were to take off his shirt in front of people, they would notice. He took a deep breath and took the cup of water Wrenlou had silently gotten for him.

'Alright?'

That simple word send warmth through his body. He didn't need any explanation to what Wrenlou meant. He nodded. He would be alright. He would be able to live with a scar the rest of his life if it meant he would live.

'Want to meet Snowflake?'

His head shot up and he was violently nodding. Wrenlou smiled and stood up, walking towards the curtain. When he pulled it open, Hiccup's jaw dropped. He wasn't on ground level as he had expected. He was up high, facing more rooms like his. Wrenlou turned around and smiled seeing his surprised face. Hiccup stared outside, leaning forward as much as he could. He wanted to see more. He wanted to see the city itself. Wrenlou cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a cry similar to a Night Fury call. It was answered from all sides, dragons chirped and crooning where Hiccup couldn't see them. Then he heard a shriek.

And that's when he saw the dragon.

She was flying straight at the opening, white wings beating furiously and she landed practically on top of Wrenlou. She cooed happily and started licking his face, much like Toothless would do sometimes.

Snowflake! Get off... ugh, this is so disgusting...'

Wrenlou wriggled from under the dragon and she sat back. Hiccup was staring at her. She was a Night Fury. In every sense of the word, a Night Fury. The head was the same, the tail, with two fins, even the spines along her back were the same. But she was completely white, and it was beautiful.

'She's... she's so pretty...'

The dragon turned her head and Wrenlou looked up. Hiccup's jaw dropped when he saw their eyes. The dragon had the same ayes as Wrenlou, only her right was blue while her left was green. She looked at her rider, who smiled at her and then she got closer. Toothless growled softly ans she shied away, but Hiccup reached a hand out to her. Stretching her neck, she sniffed his outstretched hand, then pressed her nose into his palm.

After a moment she pulled back an wrinkled her nose, her eyes looking at him with a same sort of sparkle he had seen in Wrenlou's eyes the first time. Hiccup now saw that the dragon wasn't wearing a saddle or harness of any kind.

'How do you ride her?'

'How... well like you do. I'm not allowed to ride her outside the bay, except when I'm going back to the bay, so I took off the saddle.'

Hiccup didn't respond. It made sense. He was now scratching Snowflake's chin, and the dragon was purring contently. A low growl from Toothless had Hiccup turn to his own dragon and he started scratching his chin as well.

'Want to see more of the city?'

He looked up. Wrenlou had moved the chair to the gap and was looking at him questioningly. He nodded, his hair flying around his head. He wanted to see more of the city. He wanted to se more of the island. Wrenlou smiled and pushed the dragon aside. Snowflake huffed, but curled her tail around her paws as she sat down. When Hiccup made a move to get up, Wrenlou hooked one arm under his shoulders, and another under his knees and simply lifted him from the bed. Hiccup blushed. He had forgotten he didn't weigh much. Wrenlou sat him down in the chair, an now he could see the city. His jaw dropped.

He was maybe three or four floors up, he couldn't really tell, but he was pretty high above the ground. Dragons and humans were walking over the plaza, most dragons wearing a saddle. There was a large building on the edge of the plaza that looked a lot like the Great Hall back on Berk. He looked to the rooms on the other side and now realized that they were nestled in the wall of a mountain. He could only guess the room he was in was similar design. There were trees speckled over the plaza, along the edge of it and he could see the streets leading away from the large oval space were also lined with trees. Dragons were chirping and chatting, purring and crooning. He could see them napping in piles, lazily eating fish. There were so many.

Toothless came up to him and he hugged the dragon, his arms barely reaching around the dragon's neck.

'You see them Toothless? Look at all of them.'

The dragon crooned, looking into the city below. Tearing his eyes away from the scene, Hiccup looked at Wrenlou.

'Do you... do you think I could stay?'

'Well... the Council has been talking about that ever since you arrived. The Council is like our government. Twelve dragon riders and twelve non-dragon riders. But it really hinges on what you decide. You can stay if you want. You would join us in Learners Bay.'

'You hear that bud? We may have found a home for us.'

Toothless wailed loudly, immediately getting turning heads on the plaza below. Some dragons answered, some of the riders waved at them, and Hiccup felt another trail of warmth flow through him. Toothless wailed again, softer this time and tried to lick his hair. He managed to push the dragon away.

'How did you do it?'

Hiccup looked up. 'Do what?'

Wrenlou pointed at Toothless. 'You befriended an adult Night Fury. All the riders, every singe one, always get their dragons moments after they hatch, a baby. You somehow managed to befriend an adult Night Fury. And he's about sixteen years old, which makes it even more impressive. And what happened to his tail?'

'I... It's kind of a long story...'

'We have time. Plenty of it. So start talking.'


	6. Finding Night Fury Island, Part VI

_Here you go people, the next part. There is a little question for you at the bottom, I am very interested in your answer. But please, read the chapter first!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Finding Night Fury Island, Part VI**

'You did what!?'

Hiccup glanced over at Wrenlou. The boy was staring at him with utter disbelief written all over his face.

'I... eh... I shot him down...'

'You... _shot_... him down... why would you even do that!'

'Well... eh... I... you see, I was...'

'Come on, spit it out. Why would you shoot down a Night Fury, then help it to fly again?'

'Oh gods... okay. Berk is at war with the dragons.'

'At war? But how...'

'Look, I can't tell you the story if you keep interrupting me.'

'Sorry.' Wrenlou mumbled.

'Right. So we're at war. And I was trying to prove to my dad that I could be a real viking.'

'Wait... you weren't a real viking before?'

Hiccup turned his head away, staring at the plaza below. Then he took a deep breath. 'Not the way my father wanted me to be. I'm way too small for a viking. But I really don't want to talk about that.'

Wrenlou nodded, running a hand through his black hair, spiking it in every direction. Hiccup chuckled at the sight.

'Anyway, I wanted to make my father proud, so the last dragon raid I went out, even if I wasn't supposed to, with this thing I invented. A sort of catapult and wheelbarrow combined, and I went to a hill. There I waited. I hit him by chance really. It was the middle of the night and I couldn't see a thing, but I hit him. But no one would believe me and I went to look for him myself the day after.'

'No one believed you shot down a freaking _Night Fury? _Man, are they stupid.'

'Yeah. I went looking for him, which wasn't easy, but I found him. And when I did, I... I wanted to kill him, to take his heart to my father, but I couldn't. I couldn't do it. 300 years and I'm the first viking who wouldn't kill a dragon.'

'Why not?'

'I... I'm not sure... I looked in his eyes and saw my fear reflected in them. I looked at him, and saw myself. So I set him free. At that moment I had no idea what had happened to his tail. He could have killed me, right there on the spot, but he didn't. He just roared in my face and took off.'

'That was lucky. I know a few dragons who would have bitten your head clean off.'

'I know, I couldn't believe it myself. Anyway, when I got home, my dad announced that he would go look for the dragons nest one last time before the ice set in, and that I was to start dragon training in the morning.'

'Dragon training? What's that?'

'It's basically where we learn how to kill dragons. I tried to talk to him, to tell him that I couldn't kill dragons, but as usual, he didn't listen. So the next day, I went to dragon training. There I learned that dragons supposedly always go for the kill. That got me thinking. Toothless could have killed me. He didn't. Why was that if dragons were all such ferocious killers? I went back to the place I had last seen him, went in the direction he flew off to, and found him stuck in some cove. He was grounded because of his tail, and starving, so the next day I brought him some food. He approached, tentatively, and wouldn't come closer until I had thrown away my dagger. After I gave him the fish, he wanted more, but I didn't have more. And suddenly I found myself backed up against a rock with half a regurgitated fish in my lap and a dragon eyeing me expectingly.'

'He made you eat it, didn't he?'

Hiccup nodded, surprised. 'He seemed contend with one bite, but he made me swallow it. The taste of raw fish...'

'Don't start. Snowflake does that all the time. I recently got her to roast it for me, but at first...' He shuddered.

Hiccup smiled. 'After that I went back every day and gradually he started to trust me. He would even go to sleep with me there. He didn't let me touch him at first, but one day, I was sitting on this rock, drawing his face in the sand and he comes up to me. He looks at what I'm doing, then saunters off. The next thing I know I hear a loud _crack_ and he starts walking around me, half a tree in his mouth, drawing his own pattern on the ground. After he's finished he's drawn it all around the rock and he sits down, looking completely happy with what he made. I don't think it represented something, but he saw something in it, because when I stepped on the lines, he growled.'

Wrenlou smiled. 'Night Fury's are very playful when you get to know them.'

'I know, right? And to imagine we called them the unholy offspring of lighting and death itself.'

'Really? You did that?'

Hiccup nodded. 'But anyways, after some sort of funny dance stepping between the lines he drew, I find him behind me. And I decide to do the stupidest thing ever. If my father would have seen that, he would have killed the dragon on the spot and given me a day long speech about how we not play with dragons. But at that moment, I guess it seemed like a good idea.'

'So what did you do?'

'I reached out to him. At first he growled, but when I turned my head away, he pressed his nose against my palm. That was the moment we really bonded. After that, well, I build him a new tail, but discovered it wouldn't work on it's own, and that I needed to be on his back with him. At first he seemed to resent the idea, but then he embraced it. And after our first flight, I was hooked on flying.'

'Yeah it's quite a feeling. It can be addictive.'

'I learned so much from him! I learned that dragons aren't what we thought they are. Dragon Nip...'

'Chasing lights?'

Hiccup nodded. 'I used all that I learned in dragon training, and I became the best. I got so good that the village elder chose me for the Final Exam. The Final Exam means I would have to kill a dragon... while the entire village was watching me. But it was all wrong. For the first time my father was proud of me, and for the first time that wasn't what I wanted.'

'You couldn't kill the dragon.'

'I would never be able to kill a dragon. That's... that's when I decided it was best if we left... me and Toothless. My dad would have killed him if he had found out about him. I couldn't let that happen.'

'How long have you been alone?'

'I left about seven... no, eight months ago.'

'Eight mo... really? Eight months on your own?'

'I wasn't alone, I had Toothless.'

'But no human companionship.'

'It's not like I ever had that.' Hiccup mumbled. He wasn't sure Wrenlou had heard it.

'You do now.'

He looked up. His eyes met Wrenlou's. The boy was smiling, the sparkle in his eyes clearly visible. Hiccup smiled back, turning to the dragon when Toothless nudged him gently.

'Wrenlou? How did he get up here?'

'I flew him up. When I found you on that beach, I wanted to fly you back on Snowflake. But then he stopped me, showed me his tail. I spend an hour trying to get that thing under control enough to be able to fly him and you back.'

'You did that? To save me?'

'Yep. I totally did. Accept it Hiccup, I will be here every step of the way if you decide to stay. Because if you decide to stay, you'll have a whole new life to adjust to, a new language to learn. It's not going t be easy, but you're not alone anymore.'

'You would help me?'

'Did you think I would save your life, make you feel heard, become your friend and than ditch you? That's not the way things work in Dragoncity Hiccup. Here, people stick together, look out for each other. All the dragon riders are one big family. If you stay, you become part of that family. Probably part of mine, because I am not letting you out of my sight until I know you can fend for yourself. Probably not after that either.'

Hiccup smiled shyly. 'You would really do that for me?'

Wrenlou put a hand on his shoulder, the other on his heart. 'I swear it.'

'But why?'

'Because you're a nice kid. Because I knew there was something special about you the moment I saw you on that beach. Because it's the right thing to do. Because I know somewhat what it's like to be bullied.'

'Hiccup frowned. 'You do?'

'Yeah, well... Snowflake isn't exactly what you would call an average Night Fury. Some of the other riders resent her, don't want her around their dragons. They call her all kinds of things. It affects both of us.'

'I... I didn't realize...'

'I'm not exactly the cool kid around here Hiccup. You would think that having a white dragon is cool, that the others would find it cool, and don't get me wrong, plenty of people do, there's just some who have to spoil the fun. I wouldn't want any other dragon though.'

'Do you think they'll make fun of Toothless? For having half a tail?'

'Maybe. But Hiccup, a dragons tailfin can grow back.'

Hiccup sat up sharply, cringing a little at the pain in his back. 'Really?'

'Yes. It takes ages though. It could take anywhere between fifty to eighty years for it to fully grow back, but grow back it will.'

'If we life that long. In eighty years I will be ninety-six, I don't think I'll be doing much flying then.'

Wrenlou laughed. 'Maybe. Who knows. Maybe you'll be missing an arm or something in eighty years.'

'Missing an arm?'

'Or a leg I don't know. A lot can happen in eighty years. Maybe you'll be bald. Or humpbacked. Maybe you'll have a beard that reaches half way across the plaza. Maybe your hair will be white. Lots and lots of possibilities.'

'I can't imagine what it would be like to miss a leg or something. Are many people missing limbs here?'

'Depends on what you call many. There are around sixty riders at the moment, us included, and four of them are missing a limb. Three of them are missing an arm, so I guess that, statistically, you're more likely to lose and arm.'

Hiccup looked down on his hands. He couldn't imagine having to miss one. And what if he would lose his dominant left? How would he write? Draw? He felt a hand on his shoulder, the other lifting his chin.

'Don't think about losing limbs. Think about if you want to stay or not. Think about everything we could teach you if you did stay. You're far from danger at the moment, don't throw your mind back into it.'

Hiccup smiled at him and looked down on the plaza again. Had he not left Berk to find a place for him and Toothless? Had he not wanted to find a place where they would be accepted? He bit his lip, still unsure.

'Why don't you get back into bed and get some rest. You don't have to decide right away, there is plenty of time for that later.'

Hiccup nodded. The little trip to the chair and talking way more than he had ever talked had eaten away his energy. He allowed Wrenlou to carry him to the bed again, but didn't want to lay down just yet. So Wrenlou set him down with the pillows in his back, the blanket draped around his knees.

'Alright. I have to go take care of some things, but I will be back as soon as possible, okay? I will leave Snowflake here. Do you want it open?'

He gestured to the curtain. Hiccup looked out to the small bit of the city he could see and nodded.

'Wrenlou? Where's my saddlebag?'

'Saddlebag...? Oh! Hang on...'

Wrenlou disappeared from view for a moment, then came back.

'Here you go. I have to go now, I'll be right back.'

'Wrenlou!'

'What is it?'

'I want to stay! I want to stay and learn. I want to be part of the family.'

Wrenlou smiled widely before nodding. 'And so you will be, believe me, you will be. I guess I'll add that to my list of things to do. "Tell the council Hiccup stays." Very important, don't forget.'

Hiccup laughed at Wrenlou while he mimed writing on a sheet of paper. Wrenlou pretended to fold the paper and put it in his pocket, then he winked at Hiccup.

'All craziness aside, I'm glad you decided to stay. I have started to enjoy your company. You're a nice kid Hiccup, no matter what anyone says, and I like you. I guess you could call me your friend. If that's what you want.'

Hiccup chuckled, looking down on the bag. 'You make me laugh. You're the first to make me laugh. You're also the first to care about me.'

'Hmm... What about Toothless? He cares.'

'Fine. The second to care about me. But the first human!'

'Yeah yeah alright. I really should be going now.'

'Wrenlou? Could you bring more soup later?'

'I think I can.' He turned to the door and sighed. 'Now I have to walk 287 steps down. I hate stairs. I hate not being allowed to fly. It would make things so much easier.' He looked back to Hiccup. 'If you need anything, send Snowflake to come and find me. I will ignore the no flying rule and take the easy way up.'

Hiccup smiled and pulled his notebook out of the saddleback. He heard Wrenlou open the door and mumble another: "I hate stairs", then the door closed softly. Snowflake curled up on the floor next to the bed, Toothless put his head on Hiccup's legs. Smiling, Hiccup scratched the dragon's head, before he opened his notebook.

He flipped through the pages, several different designs for Toothless' tailfin and saddle, but also numerous other things he encountered passing before his eyes. He stopped at the first empty page and dug his pencil out of the bag. Thank Thor it wasn't broken. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, before quickly recreating the plaza and the buildings on the page. It was a rough sketch, but recognizable. Then he wrote something above it, in Norse runes.

_I am home._

_~0~0~0~_

_Should I end here? I have some ideas on how to continue, but I could also make that a new story. What do you think? What do you want? Review and let me know!_


	7. Becoming Friends, Part I

_Okay, I have to get something off my chest. It seems that a lot of you are completely MISSING THE POINT! Seriously, did you even read the A/N before part 1? The one in which I clearly state that this will be a COLLECTION of stories, meaning __**multiple**__ stories, all under TAAOFHAW. It's not that hard to understand, is it? Really people, if I do an A/N, there is important information in it. Especially if it's long._

_So read. Carefully. Or mistakes will be made._

_Of course, there are plenty of you who did grasp the concept of the word "collection". Thank you._

_Alright, now that that is said, I have decided to end Finding Night Fury Island. Because he found it, and that was the point. So the next story takes place directly after the previous one._

_There. Is it all clear now? Yes? People?_

_Enjoy_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part I**

'Hiccup! Hiccup, wake up!'

Hiccup groaned and turned away from Wrenlou, pulling the blanket over his head. He had no idea where Wrenlou got his energy in the morning, but he was always bouncing.

'Come on, get up!'

'Five more minutes...' He mumbled. He heard Wrenlou sigh.

'Don't make me pull this blanket off you again.'

That got him and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. The sun had risen already and when he looked up at Wrenlou, he saw he was standing there with a wide smile.

'Ready to go exploring? We have another week before we have to go to Learners Bay, you can spend it here or explore the city.'

Explore? Leave the room he had been stuck in for a week since waking up?

'I brought you some clothes. I'm afraid your tunic was rather... torn up... I could bring you your old boots if you want to, but I think they would be very hot here.'

Hiccup looked at the pile of clothes Wrenlou was holding. 'No... it's fine. I don't want them anymore.'

'Okay. Here you go. Oh, wait.'

Before he left, Wrenlou went to the gap and closed the curtain, pulling it across. The he turned to Hiccup. 'I will wait outside, okay?'

'But I haven't even eaten yet!'

'Where do you think we will go first? Don't worry Hiccup, you will get your food. Plenty of it.'

With that he left. Hiccup rubbed his eyes again, wiping away the last bit of sleep. It had only been a week since he had woken up, but what a week it had been. Wrenlou had always been there, telling stories, talking about stupid stuff. He had been laughing more than in his entire life on Berk, talking more than he ever had. He had even forgotten about the wound on his back. The pain had gone and Wrenlou had said that it was healing nicely, and yesterday he had come back with the announcement that they would leave for Learners Bay in a week.

He had never been so excited and scared at the same time.

He quickly slipped into the simple light-blue tunic and brown pants Wrenlou bought him. Then he put on the boots and stood up. He was a little unsteady at his feet, his energy was still low and his body had not yet fully recovered from the shock of imprisonment an torture, but he didn't fall. Toothless looked up and crooned.

'I'll be fine bud. Really. I'll have Wrenlou with me, don't worry.'

The dragon got up and stretched his body, yawning widely. Then he trotted over to the boy, giving him a lick across his face.

'Toothless! You have to stop doing that! It's so disgusting, really.'

Toothless crooned softly and pushed his nose against Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup put his arms around the dragon's neck, burying his face in the warm scales.

'I'll be back tonight okay? I promise. Oh don't give me that look, I will be perfectly fine. Don't worry about me.'

The dragon wailed loudly and plopped on the ground, curling his tail around his paws and resting his head on his paws. Hiccup smiled and walked to the door. When he opened it, he found Wrenlou leaning against the wall.

'Done? Ready to go?'

Hiccup nodded and looked back to Toothless. Wrenlou followed his gaze.

'Wait up. Let's open the curtain so Snowflake can come in.'

Hiccup looked around the hallway. It wasn't really anything special. It was made from the same white stone as the rest, torches placed along the wall with regular intervals. The ceiling was rounded, like the room.

'Alright. Let's go. I hope you are ready to walk 287 steps down.'

Hiccup took a deep breath and nodded. Then he followed Wrenlou. The stairs were long and winding, and when he started to get dizzy, they were finally downstairs.

'I have to warn you, it can be crowded. So don't lose me, okay?'

After Hiccup nodded, Wrenlou pushed the door open and stepped outside. Hiccup followed him, a little hesitant. The heat washed over him unlike anything he had ever felt before. The chirping and purring from the dragons surrounded him on every side. The plaza was filled with dragons and their riders.

'Right. Let's go get some breakfast shall we?'

Hiccup followed Wrenlou across the plaza, wings and tails brushing past him. He was occasionally bumping into people because he was staring at the buildings, the trees, the many Night Fury's. Every single dragon rider was taller than he was, and he soon came to the conclusion that he was probably the youngest in Dragoncity at the moment.

Wrenlou led him to a large building on the edge of the plaza, the same building he had seen from his room. They went inside and Hiccup's jaw dropped. It may have looked like the Great Hall on the outside, it certainly didn't do so on the inside. Sure, there was a fire in the middle and there were long tables and benches, but the center pole that held up the roof of the Great Hall, wasn't present here. There were no support beams what so ever, leaving the space completely open. Sunlight poured in from all sides, giving the space an open feeling. When he looked up, he could see that the roof was open, allowing more sunlight in.

There were banners and paintings along the walls, along with portraits of both dragons and riders.

'Okay, sit down. I will get breakfast.'

Wrenlou gestured to a table and Hiccup nodded. Wrenlou left, and Hiccup let his eyes wander. There were only a few people in the Hall, but there were no dragons. The paintings on the wall caught his attention again.

'Those are the council members and their dragons. And the banners are the banners from every family that has dragon riders here.'

He looked up. Wrenlou had come back, handing him a bowl and some bread before sitting down. Hiccup took the bread and ducked it in the soup.

'So, which one is yours?'

'Mine isn't here yet. First generation dragon rider for my family. So, where do you want to go?'

'Where...? I... I don't know.'

'Okay, here's what I thought. We go see the healer first. She can take a look at your back if you want. After that, I could show you around the city. How does that sound?'

Hiccup nodded, chewing on his bread.

'Great! And don't forget, we have a whole week to fill. We could go anywhere you want.'

Hiccup smiled widely. It was nice that someone cared about what he wanted. 'Can we go to Lightcity?'

Wrenlou frowned, his spoon stopping halfway to his mouth. 'That might be trickier, but I could try.'

It was silent while they were eating. Hiccup finished quickly, eager to get out and explore and he was nearly bouncing while Wrenlou finished his own breakfast a little slower. They left the bowls on the table, Wrenlou assuring Hiccup that it was fine that way. Once they stepped outside, the sun stung there eyes for a moment.

'Alright. The healers first. This way.'

Hiccup followed Wrenlou along the edge of the plaza, passing in and out of the shade cast by the trees. He had never seen trees like this. They were tall, their trunks completely void of any branches. The top was adorned with long leaves, swaying in the breeze.

'Wrenlou? What kind of tree is that?'

'Palm tree. I will tell you about it later. Here we are.'

Hiccup looked at the building in front of him. It was smaller than the Hall, but build with the same stone. Wrenlou pushed the door open and beckoned him inside.

'Is this where the healer lives?'

Wrenlou chuckled while closing the door. 'No. this is where the sick and wounded are treated. The only reason you weren't here is because you didn't know anything about us. We thought it better to keep you separated. We call it a hospital. Wait here a moment please.'

He left Hiccup standing in the hall. The boy looked around. There were potted plants along the corridor, light coming in from many windows. The place smelled funny, fresh, almost like flowers. He didn't have to wait long. Wrenlou came back quickly, followed by a woman with long, flowing blonde hair. She said something, then gestured to follow her.

She led them to a small room without windows. There was a bed in the middle, and a cabinet to the side. There were a couple chairs, and that was it. Hiccup looked at Wrenlou when the woman spoke again.

'She wants you to sit down and take off your shirt. Don't be afraid, I'll be here, okay?'

Hiccup nodded, moving to the bed and sitting down a little hesitant. After taking a deep breath, he pulled his tunic over his head, exposing the bandages to the woman. She sat down next to him and gently began to unwrap them. He shuddered when the wound was exposed and she carefully ran a finger along the skin. She spoke again, and immediately he looked at Wrenlou again.

'She says it's healing nicely. She will put something on it to help it heal faster and bandage it again.'

'I want to see.'

Wrenlou hesitated a moment, before translating for the healer. He felt how she put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. He heard her ask a question and ducked his head, afraid he had asked something impossible.

'Are you sure?'

He looked at Wrenlou. His friend had a worried look in his eyes, the look he had seen before. He nodded, taking a deep breath. The gesture needed no translation and the woman left. He stared at his hands, a little scared. Then she was back, lightly touching his shoulder. She pointed to two large mirrors. He slid off the bed, and walked over, guided by her hands. Suddenly he didn't want to see anymore, but he had to know. So he let her place him between the two mirrors, staring at his boots. She lifted his chin with a gentle hand and he looked into her eyes for a moment, before he turned his head.

He gasped, almost breaking out in tears on the spot.

The wound had closed, but now it left an angry red mark across his back. He turned his gaze to the ground again and bit his lip. He was shaking. He hadn't been expecting it to be that bad. Wrenlou had told him it had been all across his back, but he had somehow hoped it wouldn't be so visible.

He suddenly found himself in the embrace of two warm arms, soft hands stroking his head. He sniffed once against the woman's chest, but was able to contain the rest of his tears. She held him for a moment, silently hushing him, then she lifted him from the ground and carried him to the bed.

After she sat him down she went to the cabinet. He kept his head down until he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, his eyes met Wrenlou's.

'It will fade with time, believe me. And it looked a lot worse at first.'

Hiccup managed a weak smile and looked up when the woman returned. She said something to him, and his eyes shot to Wrenlou.

'She needs you to lay down on your stomach. Don't worry, she'll be done in no time.'

Hiccup did as she had asked, resting his head on his arms. He felt her hands on his back, rubbing something on the healing wound. It stung a little at first, but then it soothed all pain that had lingered. After she had bandaged it again, she handed him his shirt. Still sitting on the edge of the bed he slipped it on. She straightened it out for him and ran a hand through his hair. He smiled up at her and she smiled back, before placing a kiss on his forehead. Then she turned to Wrenlou, saying something to him.

'We can go. Are you coming?'

Hiccup nodded and slid of the bed. Before he followed Wrenlou out the door, he hugged the woman tightly and felt her return his hug after a short moment. Then he bolted out the door, running after Wrenlou.

'She's nice.'

'Yes she is. She's like a mother to all her patients. She has been taking care of you for all this time.'

Hiccup didn't say anything while they left the building, and once they were outside, Wrenlou stopped.

'Is something wrong?'

'I guess...' Hiccup looked up. 'I guess I didn't expect it to look like that.'

Wrenlou sighed. 'Believe me when I say, it could have been worse.'

'I could have died, I know, but still... it's going to be there for the rest of my life. That's a little hard to accept at the moment.'

'But it won't look like that the rest of your life. Hiccup, don't let it get you down. You're alive. I'm glad you're alive. Now, lets get down to the docks okay? I can tell you about palm trees.'

Hiccup looked at the tall tree standing next to him, with it's bare trunk and tuft of leaves. Then he smiled, determined not to be sad because of his back. He followed Wrenlou down the road, more and more trees lining it.

'So, palm trees, right?'

'Yep, these are date palms. Meaning they grow dates. It's a kind of fruit, about this big. We usually dry them. They're quite delicious really, but you must like it.'

'But, why do they look like that? Where are all the branches?'

'They don't have any. I have no idea why they look like that, they just do. Wait, here.'

Wrenlou picked up a fallen leaf and gave it to Hiccup. It looked like a long stick with dozens of tiny leaves stuck to it. He waved it around, the leaf making a swishing sound and he chuckled.

They reached the docks, and immediately Hiccup was stunned by the many ships swaying on the water. They walked across the wooden pier, the wood creaking beneath their feet. The ocean was azure blue, tiny waves rippled across the surface. Hiccup stood gaping.

'It's... beautiful...' He whispered.

They stood for a while, watching the ships come and go, lazily gliding across the water in the gentle breeze.

'Where are they going?'

'Lightcity. Other islands. Other countries. Many of those ships are trading ships bringing supplies like food and leather and other stuff. We trade them for dates, among other things. Have you ever heard of coconuts?'

'Hiccup shook his head. He was beginning to realize he had a lot more to learn than just the language.

'Coconuts also grow on palm trees, albeit a different kind of palm tree. It's like a large round thing, really hard to crack open. It's green when it's not entirely ripe, and inside is what we call coconut water. It's quite delicious. And when you let them grow a little more, they turn brown and are even harder to open. I will show you one later okay?'

Hiccup nodded, still in awe about the many ships. When he looked down at the water, he saw that it was so clear he could see the bottom. There were many sea creatures flashing in his vision, but one larger thing caught his attention. It looked like a round object, with four fin like appendages and a round, bulbous head.

'Wrenlou? What is that?'

Wrenlou followed his finger and smiled. 'Sea turtle. Wait a minute.'

He slipped into the water which was barely reaching his knees and plucked the animal from the sea. Hiccup staggered back when Wrenlou set it on the pier, then climbed back up.

'Don't be afraid, it doesn't bite. It's really gentle. Come, take a look. If you're going to stay, might as well start learning, right?'

Hiccup came closer, not taking his eyes of the animal Wrenlou was holding. The round shape of it's body was hard, the fins hanging down uselessly. He reached out, just as tentative as when he had first trained Toothless, and touched the shell. It was smoother then he expected.

'Want to hold it?'

'Are you sure that's save?'

'Sure it is. Come on, sit down.'

Hiccup sat down, letting his legs hung over the side of the pier and Wrenlou set the turtle down on his lap. The he sat down next to him, pulling of his boots and emptying them. He left them laying on the pier to dry. Hiccup was past his fear of the turtle and was stroking it, carefully sliding a finger over it's shell and it's flippers.

'This is a young one, they can get a lot bigger. And they can live to be really, really old.'

'Really? How old?'

'Some species can live up to be a hundred years old. This one is probably around twenty. So it's older than you!'

'And you.' Hiccup remarked, amazed by the creature that lay in his lap. 'Tell me more about it.'

'Well, this species is called the green sea turtle...'

'But it's brown!'

'I have no idea why they called it that. Maybe because most adults have a olive green colour. Anyways, adults can grow up to 5 ft in length. As you can see there are five central scutes, flanked by four on either side. And if you flip it over...' He picked up the turtle, holding it so Hiccup could see it's belly. 'You can see that there are four pairs of scutes covering it's belly.'

'Awesome.' Hiccup took the turtle from Wrenlou again, carefully putting it back on his lap.

'When they hatch, they can fit in a hand. They're so small then. And to think that they can grow up to 5 ft in length... all though that does take ages.'

'It's awesome. I like turtles.'

Wrenlou laughed. 'You best let him swim again.'

Hiccup nodded and took the turtle from his lap. He gave the animal to Wrenlou who had slipped back in the water. After being released, the turtle swam a few lazy rounds, before disappeared under the pier. After climbing back up, Wrenlou picked up his boots.

'Well then. Hiccup, have you ever eaten oranges?'


	8. Becoming Friends, Part II

_So sorry about not updating ROTDR yet... I am lacking inspiration on how to deal with Spitelout... I will continue, don't worry, it may take some time._

_Another chapter about Hiccup discovering the wonders of Dragoncity! And oranges. Longest chapter so far!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part II**

Hiccup wriggled his toes in the sand. The soft, tiny grains of the white beach were warm under his feet. It was their second day of exploration, and Wrenlou had taken him to a beach not far from the city. Everything on the island was warm. The air, the sand, the ocean... it was completely opposite of Berk where it had been always freezing.

His light-blue tunic was laying next to him. He had pulled it off when the heat had become too much. He didn't quite understand how all the riders could withstand it in their leather suits. They had to be melting. And the dragons! He had learned that the black colour of Toothless' scales would heat up a lot faster than anything else in the sun, and then he had to come from such a ridiculous hot place.

That didn't temper his fascination with the island and it's inhabitants. After leaving the docks yesterday, Wrenlou had taken him to little shop, where all kinds of different fruits had been displayed. He had showed him oranges, coconuts, dates and pineapples. All these things had tasted weird to him, and he hadn't really liked the taste of the pineapples, but he had found he rather liked the sweet/sour taste of the oranges.

So now here he was, staring at the water, moving his feet in the sand, nibbling on another orange. Peeling it was a bit of a challenge, but Wrenlou had said it would get easier with time. He sighed and laid down, the sand tickling his back. He probably had to go to the healer afterwards to have the bandages changed again, but at the moment he didn't really care. He stared up to the sky. It was blue, completely void of clouds, leaving no place for the sun to hide. He closed his eyes, taking a bite from the piece of orange. How he longed to fly in that sky... to feel the wind pull on his hair, his clothes... feel the beating of the dragon's wings. How he longed to feel the freedom of flight again.

He sat up when he heard splashing and smiled when he saw Toothless dancing around in the ocean, either chasing shadows or fish. He was suddenly jumped by Snowflake, the smaller dragon clinging onto his back. He heard a chuckle and looked at Wrenlou next to him.

The boy was leaning on his arms, laying on his stomach. He too had pulled his shirt off, and Hiccup couldn't help but feel a little jealous. There was no signs of scarring what so ever on Wrenlou's back or chest, and his life in the sun had left him with a nice, even tan. Hiccup looked down on his own freckled arms and wondered if he would ever get the tan Wrenlou possessed. At the moment, he just seemed to be gaining freckles every day he was in the sun.

He took a deep breath and slowly ate the last piece of his orange. He looked at the bag Wrenlou brought, knowing there were more. Wrenlou caught him looking and sat up, crossing his legs.

'You know, you are going to eat all the oranges in Dragoncity singlehandedly if you keep it up.'

Hiccup ducked his head, avoiding Wrenlou's gaze, his hair falling over his eyes. It had grown in his time away, being far longer than he ever had it. He wiped it from his eyes and looked up again when he heard Wrenlou laugh.

'Don't worry about it. It's good you have your appetite back. May help you to build some muscles. Here.'

Hiccup took the orange from Wrenlou, staring at his arms. Even compared to Wrenlou's slim frame he was scrawny. Although he had build up some muscle in his time alone with Toothless, being bedridden for nearly a month had eaten away more than just his energy. He glanced at Wrenlou from behind his hair. The boy wasn't extremely muscular, but he was definitely more muscular than he was. He was also taller than Hiccup was, but not towering over him like the other riders he had seen.

Wrenlou ran a hand through his hair, and Hiccup sat up. There was a scar on the underside of Wrenlou's right upper arm, something that looked like it was made with a knife or claws.

'How'd you get that?'

Wrenlou frowned while he twisted his arm to see the scar, not quite succeeding.

'Eh... Snowflake did it. When she was a lot younger. Why?'

Hiccup shrugged, unable to speak with his mouth full of orange. 'Juft curiouf.'

Wrenlou chuckled, pulling out another orange. After peeling it quickly, he picked it apart, separating the pieces, before eating three at once.

'Wrenlou? Can you tell me about your family?'

'My family...? You mean my parents?'

Hiccup nodded, noticing regretfully he had already finished his third orange of the day. Wrenlou's hand appeared in his field of vision, offering him more of the delicious fruit.

'I suppose I could. What do you want to know?'

'Just... I don't know...'

'Hmm... Well, I have one older brother, Broghan. You will meet him, he's a dragon rider too. Two younger sisters.'

'Are they dragon riders?'

'No silly, they're too young for that. Anyway, my dad was a trader until he lost three fingers on his left hand in a freak rigging accident on one of his boats. I was about seven months old when that happened, so I really don't remember him with a full hand. After that, he delegated the whole thing to his brother and stayed at home. He's a Council member now, among the non-dragon rider department.'

'The Council? That's like a high position, right?'

'It is. And it's not easy to get in. Alright, let me see if I can explain this right... The twelve dragon riders in the Council are the twelve oldest riders in the city. That part is pretty straight forward. If one dies, the oldest rider takes his place. That is mainly because there aren't many riders. But the non-rider members are chosen differently. When a place becomes available, the remaining members choose someone, someone at random, from the city and send him a request. You can still refuse if you don't want to do it, but that has never happened before.'

'So your father was asked for the job?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Yup. That was ten years ago now. My mother works in the Council building as well. She's what you'd call a secretary. She makes notes of all the meetings. The Council itself is seated in the center of Lightcity.'

'So when you said that you were going to tell the Council I would stay... you went to Lightcity?'

'No. Just one of the Council members in Dragoncity.'

Hiccup tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. He was getting increasingly annoyed with the fact it would fall over his face all the time, slipping from behind his ear. On Berk he wouldn't have minded if it hid his face, but here he didn't want to hide anymore.

'So your dad is like a very important person?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'A trader is an important person as well, just different. But with him being a trader, then a Council member and my mom working in the Council as well... Let's just say we've never lacked anything while growing up.'

'What does that mean?'

'Hiccup... ehm... I come from a very wealthy family... One of the five wealthiest in Lightcity to be exact.'

Hiccup's jaw dropped. He never expected Wrenlou's family to be rich. He had encountered some rich brats, and they were just that, brats. Spoiled, arrogant, thinking of only themselves. Wrenlou was certainly not like that at all.

'But... Really?' Wrenlou nodded shyly, turning his head away from Hiccup. 'I did not expect that. I mean, I met some rich kids, and they were... well, they were...'

'Self-absorbed? Arrogant? Spoiled?'

'Yes, yes and yes. But you're not like that at all!'

'No. My parents worked hard to be in the position they're in. They worked for everything they have today. So that's how we were raised. We were taught that nothing in life is free, not even if you have a lot of money. We also never got away with anything, because my parents believed that money should not be overshadowing justice. It did have it's advantages though. I grew up in a large house with lots of rooms. We could play hide and seek for hours and always found a spot we hadn't hidden before.'

'I guess that's good then, that your parents raised you like that. If they hadn't, I would have died.'

'Quite possibly, yes.'

'So did you do anything status related? You know... go to school or something?'

Wrenlou sighed. 'Every child goes to school, no matter how much money their family has. Parents with more money pay for the education of children who's parents can't afford it. I've had a musical upbringing though, and that's reserved for only a few.'

'Musical upbringing? What does that mean?'

'I can play several different instruments. Can we please drop this subject?'

Hiccup opened his eyes to ask more questions, but Wrenlou seemed uneasy with his many questions about his family. Apparently his family's monetary status wasn't something he liked to discuss. So he dropped the issue, thinking of something else to ask. He felt his hair fall in front of his face again and grunted while he angrily pulled the auburn locks.

'Something wrong?'

'It's... it's this!' He held his hair up for Wrenlou to see. 'It's driving me crazy! It's in the way, it's in my eyes, it's everywhere! It's just way too long!'

Wrenlou started laughing and Hiccup gave him his best angry stare. 'It's not funny!'

'I'm sorry... just... your face...'

Hiccup dropped the strands of hair he had been holding and crossed his arms, making his best scowl while he stared at the ground. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Come on. I know what to do about that. Put on your shirt Hiccup, we are going to take a bath.'

Hiccup frowned, but then he nodded. He quickly pulled on his tunic and whistled to Toothless. The dragon looked up, his entire body dripping with water. He bounded over to his rider and pounced around the boy before licking his face. Hiccup pushed the dragon away and followed Wrenlou, his bare feet sinking into the sand.

'Wrenlou? Where are we going?'

'To the bathhouse. To get a bath. You know, to get clean. You look like you need it.'

Hiccup glanced down on his body, what he could see of it. Surely he didn't look that dirty? Hadn't the healer washed him when he first came to Dragoncity, injured as he was?

'I meant your hair.'

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. Back on Berk he hadn't washed it regularly, but he would wash it at least once a month. Now it had been... two? Three? And his brief imprisonment hadn't made it any better. He could feel the dirt that clung to his hair and felt a little embarrassed.

They entered the city again, the stones warm under his feet. He hadn't even bothered to take the boots, they just made his feet sweat. A lot. Wrenlou stopped in front of a large building and turned to him.

'Alright. Here we are. They are probably going to remove that bandage, but don't worry about that, okay?'

Hiccup nodded, looking at the building in awe. It had something written above the entrance, but he couldn't read the word. He guessed it read _bathhouse_, or something like that. He followed Wrenlou inside. The hall looked like the hospital hall, but smelled completely different. The smell was one of soap and perfume, mingled with a flowery scent. Wrenlou led him to a dressing room,, and upon entering, Hiccup froze.

It's not that he had never seen naked men before, but he wasn't prepared for it. He quickly looked away, covering his eyes with his hair. He felt a hand grip his wrist and Wrenlou pulled him along to a smaller room. After he closed the door, Hiccup dared to look up again.

'Sorry about that. Here, put this on.'

He handed him some sort of shorts. Hiccup turned his back on Wrenlou, sneaking a look over his shoulder to see the other boy do the same. As quickly as he could he slipped into the shorts, not feeling entirely comfortable about the way they left most of his body exposed. Standing next to Wrenlou, he could see how scrawny he really was, how thin his limbs were. Wrenlou seemed to sense his discomfort and put an arm around his shoulders.

'It will be fine Hiccup, you'll see. Now come on, lets get you properly cleaned up.'

To Hiccup's relief they didn't walk through the dressing room again, avoiding all naked men. He led him into a large open space, a pool in the middle. The roof was held up by a row of pillars standing around the pool. Wrenlou guided him to a smaller pool, and gestured him to step in.

Hiccup ducked his toe in the water, but it wasn't hot or cold as he suspected. In fact, the temperature of the water was just right, and he slipped in quickly. The pool wasn't deep and he could sit down on the bottom, the water reaching up to his chest. The bandages quickly became soaked, but before he could ask Wrenlou what he should do, two women stepped into the pool with them.

On of them, a girl with long red hair tied up behind her back, removed the bandages with nimble fingers, never hurting him. Hiccup kept his gaze fixed on the water, not daring to look up. She was dressed, but her bikini left no room for imagination as her breasts dangled in front of his face. He felt how she started combing his hair forward with her fingers, racking through his long locks, and gasped when he suddenly felt warm water being dumped over his head.

He spluttered a little when it got in his mouth, but didn't dare move when he felt her fingers again. When he tried to lift his head, she gently pushed it back down. She rubbed something in his hair and when he peeked through his half closed eyelids, he could see his hair was covered in foam. She washed the foam out of his hair, slowly this time, then lifted his head.

He didn't see anything. His now soaking wet hair was plastered to his face and he was about to protest when she brushed it aside with her soft fingers. She combed it back, the hair sticking to his head. She stepped aside for a moment and he could see Wrenlou's hair being treated the same way as his, the normally reluctant black locks now stuck to his head like a helmet. The girl came back into view, holding something that looked like an extremely sharp knife.

'Eh... Wrenlou?'

Wrenlou pushed the woman aside and looked at the other one. She said something, her voice warm and melodious and Wrenlou answered. Then he looked at Hiccup.

'She says she won't hurt you and asks you to trust her. It will be fine Hiccup. You said you didn't like your long hair, now's the chance to get rid of it.'

Hiccup nodded and stiffened a bit when the woman moved behind him. He felt a tuck on his hair and heard the knife slice through. The blade cut his hair with ease, not finding the slightest resistance. The woman moved away and he ran a hand through his hair. It was shorter, a lot shorter. Even shorter than he had it on Berk. She gently moved his hand from his head and rubbed something in his hair.

He leaned back when she started massaging his scalp, soon making her way down to his neck and shoulders. She worked the painful muscles of his right shoulder with skillful fingers, finding exactly the spots where they were painfully tight. He did his best to keep his cries of pain silenced ones. The feeling of his shoulder being treated the way it was, both felt good and bad. It hurt, but it hurt in a good way. It told him he still had the muscles, that he could retrain them.

She stopped, too soon for his liking and he opened his eyes again. The women had left the pool, leaving him and Wrenlou in the warm water.

'Your hair really looks better now.'

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair again. Even though it was still wet, it felt cleaner. The women came back, each holding a large towel. Wrenlou gestured Hiccup out of the pool and he complied. As soon as he was out of the water, the red-haired woman draped the towel around his shoulders. The fabric felt soft and warm on his skin. With the towel around his shoulders, she led him to a secluded area, where high beds stood in a neat row. He frowned when she gestured to the first bed, and turned to Wrenlou.

'Just lay down on your stomach. Trust me, you'll love this.'

Too curious to refuse, Hiccup climbed on the bed, laying down, his head on his arms. The woman draped the towel around his legs, pulling it up to his waist. Then she gently pulled his arms from under his head, putting them at his side. She picked up a small bottle and poured something into her hand. After putting the bottle down she rubbed her hands together, then moved next to him.

What she had started with his neck and shoulders, she now continued on his back. She traced the muscles, her soft hands stronger than they looked. He winced when she ran her hands over the still healing wound, the pain sharp and short in his back. She mumbled a soft word, but left the wound alone. Instead, she started massaging the muscles of his lower back, careful with his left hip, where the wound ran over the bone. After a while, she put the towel over his torso and started on his legs.

The feeling of complete relaxation was one he had never felt before. The soft, warm, gentle hands massaging every muscle, loosening every fiber, tender on his body almost send him in a state of trance. It was broken when she gently tapped his shoulder, telling him with a silent twist of her hand to turn over. After he had done so, she draped the towel over his legs again.

His breath caught in his throat as she moved behind his head, running her hands over his chest. Her breasts nearly touched his nose and he found his eyes were fixed on the beautiful, soft... He quickly squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't fully work. The image of her near perfect body lingered in his mind.

After she had worked his chest over, again leaving the muscles feeling more relaxed than ever, she took his arms. After she had finished them, she went to his legs once more, kneading the other side of the muscles. Only then he felt it was safe to open his eyes.

When they were done, both women left, but Hiccup just stayed down. The towel was now covering his entire body and he had completely dried. Only his hair was a little damp now. After a while, Wrenlou sat up.

'Are you coming?'

Hiccup groaned. He didn't want the relaxed feeling to go away. He wanted to stay right there, under that soft, warm towel. But Wrenlou poked his shoulder. Hiccup sighed and sat up as well. He followed Wrenlou slowly, the towel trailing behind him as he held it around his shoulders.

Dressing again was easy. After rubbing the towel over his hair, he turned to Wrenlou.

'How do I look?'

Wrenlou looked up and smiled. 'See for yourself.'

He pointed to something behind Hiccup. When he turned around, he found himself face to face with a boy he hardly recognized. Auburn hair spiked in every direction. Green eyes stared at him from an unfamiliar face. He gasped. Had he changed that much in so little time? His cheeks had been fuller, his chin rounder. Wrenlou appeared next to him, smiling.

'Is... is that really me?'

He pointed at the boy in the mirror, who pointed back at him. Wrenlou nodded.

'I... I hardly recognize myself... I'm.. thinner.'

'Being unconscious for three weeks tends to have that effect. Why don't we go the Hall, get something to eat. It's nearly dinnertime anyway.'

Hiccup nodded, still staring at his reflection. He looked at his hair, spiked in every direction much like Wrenlou's would and ran his hands over the messy auburn locks. Once smoothed out, he looked more like his old self, but still... He had changed. He smiled. He had to get used to this new Hiccup, but he was sure he could. He was no longer the boy that no one liked, he had a friend now, someone who looked after him. He was about to start a new life here. So much had changed already, he could handle a little more.

When they stepped outside onto the plaza, he could see the sun had begun it's slow descend towards the ocean. That was another difference. On Berk the sun would set quickly, the dawns and dusks short. Here, the sun seemed to take hours, creeping towards the ocean, meanwhile painting the sky with the most beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow.

They had just settled down with a plate and a cup, the Hall slowly filling up with riders, when Wrenlou nudged Hiccup.

'Do you like music?'

Hiccup frowned. He didn't really like the music made on Berk. Usually because the only time it would be made would be when the vikings were drunk and terribly out of tune, but here it had to be different.

'I... I don't know... why?'

Wrenlou pointed to a group of four riders carrying instruments. 'They will most likely start playing after they have finished eating.'

Taking a bite from his bread, Hiccup observed the group. He saw some instruments he knew, like a flute, but there were others he couldn't place.

'Wrenlou? What's that?' He pointed to a man who had just placed something on the table that looked like a curved oval shape with a long neck. There were strings attached to it, but he had no idea what it was.

'It's a violin.'

'Violin? Do you play that?'

Wrenlou sighed, stabbing his meat. 'I thought we dropped the subject.' When he saw Hiccup's almost expecting face, he grunted. 'Yes I do. But I haven't in ages. Not since I became a dragon rider. I don't even know if I can still do it.'

'Awesome! Can you show me someday?'

'Hiccup...'

Wrenlou was interrupted when a soft whistle played through the Hall, and looking back to the musicians, they found that the man with the flute had started playing. Instantly, the murmur died, and everyone present grew quiet. Hiccup rested his head on his hands, staring at the man. The music was calming, melodious, totally different from the music on Berk. A soft tinging mixed with the flute, and then he saw the man with the violin put the instrument on his shoulder. He picked up something that looked like a long stick, and when he touched the strings of the violin, Hiccup was hooked.

The instrument made a sound he had never heard before. It was entrancing, beautiful. It sang in his ears, painting pictures of Dragoncity. He was staring in the flame of the candle on the table, totally engulfed in the music. He let it wash over him while he listened with his whole heart. It warmed him, but not like the sun had done. It warmed his very soul. His entire being was touched by the sound of the violin.

He sat up a little when there suddenly was another tone, higher, sharper, but just as beautiful. A second man had shouldered a violin, playing the higher tones that vibrated in his chest. The flute had died away, and the two violins sang together, their sound resonating in the Hall. He was sure that this was the music of Valhalla, brought to earth. He was sure this was how his ancestors feasted every night, listening to the enchanting sounds of the violins.

The song came to an end, and it left an emptiness in his heart. He regretted the end. He didn't want it to stop, he wanted to hear more! He looked at Wrenlou, tearing his eyes away from the musicians.

'Will they play more?'

'Why don't you ask them?' Wrenlou said softly. 'I can tell you how.'

Hiccup sighed and looked at the four men. The Hall was darker now and he realized the sun must have finally sat. which meant they had been here for at least two hours. Had the song lasted that long? He bit his lip, looking at the men again. He really wanted to hear more... He turned to Wrenlou.

'Tell me.'

Wrenlou smiled before speaking four words, slowly so he could follow them. Hiccup frowned and tried to imitate the sound, but he failed. After a few tries, he got it down reasonably and he stood up, shaking on his legs. Wrenlou smiled at him and gave him an encouraging nod. He made his way over to the man with the violin, the one who had played first and tapped him on his shoulder. When the man turned around, he met to ice blue eyes in a kind face. Suddenly nervous, he stammered his question and the man burst out into laughter. He said something, picking up the violin again and Hiccup hurried back, hoping it hadn't been a question.

'What did he say?' He asked when he was back at Wrenlou's side again.

'He said that for you, he would play all night long if you want. Admiration doesn't go unnoticed Hiccup, he saw how you looked at him when he was playing.'

Hiccup smiled his biggest smile yet when the violin started playing again and the man sat down on the bench across of them. He was pulled into the music, into the dancing tones. He rested his head on his hands again, forgetting about the rest of the world, the only sound being the violin, singing in his soul.

_If you're interested in the song, I used Mumbai Theme Tune from A. R. Rahman for the first. I just found it today, and fell in love with it, and I could just see Hiccup sitting on that table, enchanted by that violin. I am aware that violins most likely didn't exist in this time period, but let's be honest. It's not entirely historical correct anyway._


	9. Becoming Friends, Part III

_Freaking long chapter this is, lot's of trouble it gave me. __Longest chapter I have EVER written!_

_Next adventure of Hiccup and Wrenlou! Lightcity! What will they find..._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part III**

Hiccup sat up and yawned. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. He had awoken early, Wrenlou wasn't here yet. He slipped into his clothes and ran a hand through his hair to smooth it out a little. Then he walked over to the curtain and pulled it open.

He was up real early. The sun had just begun to climb in the sky, the clouds lit up with the bright colours that painted the sky every morning and every night. He sighed. He was awake now anyway, might as well go down to the Great Hall.

No, not Great Hall.

Here it was just the Hall.

He grunted while he rubbed his temple. There were so many things he had to get used to. The heat being the first. During the day it could get so very, very hot in Dragoncity. Around the midday hours, the city would fall into a sort of slumber. The dragons were piled up in the shade of the trees, which were plentiful, and the riders would either be inside the bathhouse, or the Hall, or any other building.

He smiled when he remembered his experience in the bathhouse. Wrenlou had been right about the massage. Even now, he still felt relaxed. The pain is his back was completely gone, and it felt like a weight had been lifted of his shoulders. His shorter hair was a blessing, now it didn't trap the heat in his neck.

He also had to learn the language, he thought as he opened the door and started walking down the stairs. If he was to stay, it would be nice if he could make himself heard. And if he could understand the other riders without Wrenlou having to translate everything they said to him.

As he stepped onto the plaza, he felt the cool air wash over him. Nights were cooler than the days, but even the night temperature from Dragoncity would be considered hot in Berk. He sighed. He tried his best to forget it, but it kept coming back into his mind, usually when he discovered something he liked about Dragoncity. It was like he needed to confirm it hadn't been in Berk, almost to justify leaving the place.

He was so early, that the plaza was deserted. There were a few dragons laying curled up along the edge, but they were still asleep. As soft as he could he walked over to the Great Hall.

No... Just Hall...

Sighing, he pushed the door open and stood there for a moment. The tunes of the violin from last night seemed to linger in the air. He smiled. The violinist had played about five more songs for him, varying in length and tune, before Wrenlou had decided it was time to go to bed. He had remembered the look in the man's eyes when he had thanked him, stumbling over the words, but trying.

After getting some food, he quietly sat down at the table in the corner. There wasn't really anybody there, but from where he now sat, he could oversee the entire Hall. Nibbling on his bread, he watched riders come and go, most of them leaving quickly. The light from the rising sun started peeking in through the windows, giving everything a golden glow. He sat up when he saw Wrenlou enter and waved at him.

'You're up early.'

Hiccup nodded. 'Couldn't sleep anymore.'

Wrenlou sat down, yawning. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times.

'I got a little scared when I found your room empty.'

'Sorry.' Hiccup mumbled a little ashamed. 'I wasn't thinking.'

'Don't apologize. Never apologize, unless you really, really screwed up.'

Wrenlou yawned again and now Hiccup could see vague dark lines under his friend's eyes.

'Are you alright?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Just tired. I was up late last night, trying to fix something.'

'Did you do it? Did you fix it?'

A smile crept over Wrenlou's face as he nodded. He looked around before he got up. 'I'm going to get some breakfast, be right back.'

Hiccup just ate the last piece of his bread when Wrenlou returned. It was silent between the two boys for a while, the only sounds the murmur from the other riders and the squeaking from the door when it opened and closed. Occasionally, a Night Fury call ripped through the air.

'So, where are we going today?'

Wrenlou's smile got wider and he put his cup down. 'You wanted to go to Lightcity right?' Hiccup nodded. 'I got us two day passes. That was why I was up late last night.'

'Day passes? What's that? What does that mean?'

'It means that we get to go to Lightcity. Today. The entire day.'

'Really!?'

Hiccup nearly screamed the word through the Hall and Wrenlou started laughing. Almost choking on his food he nodded.

'Yes!' Hiccup was jumping up and down with joy.

'Would you please sit down again?'

Hiccup smiled, the smile lighting up his entire face. 'How do we get there?'

'Oh, that's the best part. Hiccup, we're going flying.'

This time he was sure everyone in Dragoncity heard his cry of happiness. Flying! They would go flying! He would see Lightcity, and they would go flying.

'Can I meet your parents?'

Wrenlou shrugged and stood up. 'Sure why not. We have to be out of the city before sundown, we could go for dinner at my place. My parents place. Whatever. Lets just get the dragons ready, okay?'

Hiccup nodded wildly and he ran back to his room. He almost forgot to bring some fish for Toothless. When he slammed the door open, the dragon looked up, his head cocked to the side.

'We're going flying Toothless! Flying!'

The dragon wailed and got to his feet. After a good stretch he sat down, eyeing the fish the excited boy held in his hands. When Hiccup didn't give him the fish, he wailed again. Hiccup stopped jumping up and down and looked at the dragon.

'Oh, sorry bud. It's just, I'm so excited! Can you tell I'm excited?'

After gulping down the fish Toothless crooned and Hiccup got to putting the saddle and the prosthetic back on the dragon. He was nearly done when a shadow fell over them and when he looked up, he saw Snowflake and Wrenlou. Even though he knew that Wrenlou was Snowflake's rider, he had never seen him on her back before. It was strange, but somehow right.

'Are you ready?'

'Almost. I just need to attach the connection rod... alright! I'm done! Can we go now?'

'Easy there hotshot. We have to go down to the plaza first.'

After that, Snowflake turned around and jumped down. After mounting Toothless and checking if everything was alright, Hiccup followed him, Toothless landing next to Snowflake. A man came walking towards them, carrying a bag. After speaking with Wrenlou he handed him the bag, and the boy slung it over his shoulder. The man bowed, Wrenlou gave a nod from the back of the dragon, then he turned to Hiccup.

'Let's go.'

Snowflake spread her wings and shot up to the sky. After adjusting the tailfin to the right position, Hiccup followed. It was wonderful to fly again, soaring through the clouds. He was holding on to the saddle with all his might. For the first time he flew without the suit and the safety lines connection him to Toothless. Wrenlou had assured him it would be fine.

He looked at Wrenlou and Snowflake, flying next to him. It was the first time he saw them fly. Wrenlou was leaning back, one hand on the saddle, the other stretched out. He was wearing some sort of suit, but had no safety lines attached to the saddle. Wrenlou smiled at him, his black hair getting messier by the second.

It was only a short flight, and after mere minutes he saw a city appear. From the distance it looked a lot like Dragoncity. The way it was build. The way it was nestled on the rock. The way the towers stood high above the city.

The approached over the harbor, the docks filled with people and carts and life stock. They flew over the city, high enough to be seen and Hiccup glanced down. The dragons were casting shadows on the ground, and heads turned in their direction when they flew over. Children waved at them, and he waved back, not entirely sure if they saw it.

To his surprise, they didn't land in the city. Wrenlou led him to a building outside the city walls, standing lonely on a large hill, overlooking the city. There they landed, Wrenlou jumping off when they were approached by a man. They talked for a while, Hiccup standing next to Toothless, not really sure what to do, then Wrenlou came back.

'The dragons stay here. They're not allowed in Lightcity. The streets are too narrow for them. I told him to leave the saddle on, okay?'

Hiccup nodded. Snowflake had already trotted off to the building, crooning and cooing at the other Night Fury's. She stopped halfway up the hill and turned around, wailing loudly to Toothless. The dragon turned to Hiccup, ears perked up.

'Go on. You'll be fine here. I'll be back soon, okay? Don't worry bud, I'll be safe.'

Toothless nudged his shoulder, pressing his nose against Hiccup. Then he pulled away and looked at the boy, before bounding after Snowflake. The two dragons then ran up the hill and into the building.

'Come on Hiccup, let's go. Don't worry, they'll be well looked after.'

Wrenlou adjusted the bag on his shoulder and started walking towards the road. After a short moment, Hiccup ran after Wrenlou and they followed the road towards the city. It wasn't long before the city walls appeared in front of them. The gates were opened, two guards standing beside them. People were walking in and out of the city, some pulling carts, other carrying baskets.

Hiccup stopped. Even from the distance the city looked grand. He saw towers rising above the wall, spots of green were dappled all over the city, breaking the white. The red roofs from the houses added another colour to the mix. All in all, it was already beautiful. Wrenlou turned around to him.

'Hiccup?'

'It's... it's beautiful.' Hiccup breathed.

'Wait till you get inside. Now come on! We're not seeing anything by just standing here.'

Hiccup was nearly bouncing when they reached the gates. As soon as the guards saw them approach, one of the stepped forward.

'Good day to you! Do you have a pass?'

Hiccup said nothing. The only word he understood was one he knew meant "Good day". Wrenlou nodded and pulled something out of the bag. It was a bundle of folded paper. He handed it to the guard and the man unfolded it, reading it quickly. Then he disappeared into a small room, only to come out moments later. He handed Wrenlou the bundle back, and then they were allowed to enter the city.

'The streets are crowded and busy, so stay close. Here, souvenir.'

Hiccup took the paper from Wrenlou. It had some writing on it, and the crest he had seen on the flags flying in Dragoncity. It also had some sort of a stamp or seal on it, with another crest. He needed no explanation to know that it was the crest of Lightcity.

They entered the busy streets, and Hiccup didn't have eyes enough to see everything. There were many different people in the street. He saw women in colourful clothes, men wearing armor, or only pants. But everyone, everyone, greeted them with a nod or a quick word. He realized they stood out. He was wearing his tunic and pants, Wrenlou was wearing that suit. The suit everyone in Dragoncity wore, but no one here in Lightcity would even touch. They navigated the streets, wandering past all kinds of different stalls.

Hiccup stopped in front of a stall with fruit, his eye catching the bright colour of the oranges. Wrenlou smiled, and a few moments later they were walking down the street with a bag full of oranges. Wrenlou had also found something that looked like a red orb wearing a crown.

'You have to try this, really.'

'What is it?'

'This? This is what we call a pomegranate. Wait.'

Wrenlou pulled a dagger from his arm. Hiccup hadn't even realized he had been carrying a weapon. He made a cut in the red skin, then pulled it apart. When the fruit broke open, the inside revealed a bunch of seeds all jammed together. He offered Hiccup one half, and he took it curiously. He plucked out one of the seeds and carefully ate it. It was a little harder than he had thought, but when he finally bit through the skin, some sort of juice spilled out. The taste was somewhere between the orange and the pineapple. He couldn't describe it any other way. He plucked out another seed, then another and another.

'This is delicious!'

'We import them. They're my favorite. We don't have them in Dragoncity, not much. Night Fury's hate pomegranates for some reason.'

'They do? Really?'

Wrenlou nodded and they started moving down the street again. It took them a while to eat all the seeds. By then they had reached a large plaza, larger than the one in Dragoncity. It was void of any trees safe one. There was a large palm tree in the middle, rising high above the crowd, it's large leaves weaving in the soft breeze. The plaza was filled with more stalls, and they walked past the many things on display.

Hiccup stopped in front of a man who had stacks and stacks of notebooks. His own notebook was still in the room, but it was nearly full... He jerked up when Wrenlou grabbed his arm.

'Come on, let's get something to eat, then we'll walk past all this, okay?'

'Hiccup nodded. Even though he had just eaten half a pomegranate, the walking and the heat made him very hungry. They ducked into a small ally and Wrenlou pointed at a table.

'Sit down.'

As soon as he did, a man walked over, greeting Wrenlou. Some words were exchanged and the man left.

'Look... I have to get some things... Don't worry, you'll be fine here. I told him to get you some food and something to drink. Just wait here, okay?'

'You're going? Where?'

'Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can. There's just some things I have to take care off. Okay?'

Hiccup nodded hesitantly. He didn't really like the idea of being left alone, but he didn't want to be a burden and keep Wrenlou from the things he needed to do. Wrenlou squeezed his shoulder gently and smiled. Hiccup watched him go and he felt fear creep into his heart. What of something were to happen to Wrenlou? What if he got lost? What if...

The man came back, setting a plate and a cup on the table. He mumbled a thanks, but he doubted if the man had heard that. He looked at the plate. Some bread, some chicken, other stuff he didn't quite recognize, and oranges. He smiled widely and went for the oranges first. He was nearly finished when he saw Wrenlou get back and relief washed over him.

'Told you I'd be quick.'

Hiccup smiled and nodded. He was poking a red, round thing on his plate. It felt smooth, and squishy.

'It's a tomato. We import those too.'

Hiccup frowned. Why hadn't they known all this on Berk? It really was a little, stupid, far out island where no one ever went. He was glad he left it. He took a little bite out of the tomato and discovered the inside was juicy. The little bite didn't give him any hints on the taste, so he ate the whole thing. He shivered, wrinkling his nose. He quickly grabbed his cup and drank the water to wash away the taste.

'Yeah, I don't really like those either.'

'So what did you need to do?'

Wrenlou smiled widely, but didn't answer Hiccup's question. The man from before brought another plate. Hiccup didn't say anything, he just nibbled on his bread, looking at Wrenlou.

'I got you a few things.'

'Me? What? Why?'

Wrenlou laughed and pulled a notebook from the bag. 'Here. A gift from the man with the notebooks.'

'A... gift?' Wrenlou nodded. 'But why?'

Wrenlou shrugged. 'You come here with an open mind. All these people have lived here all their lives. I lived here for a long time. But with you, I see new things. With you, I see things I would have walked past without even seeing them. The man with the notebooks noticed that too. He came up to me just now. It's for you. A gift.'

Hiccup looked at the little book. It was bound in leather, like his old one, but this one had intricate designs painted on it. He smiled and looked up.

'Thank you.'

'It's not me you should thank for that. Alright. This is something else entirely.'

Wrenlou put something on the table, something long and wrapped in cloth. Hiccup put the notebook down and pushed his empty plate aside.

'This is something you'll need in Learners Bay.'

He started to unwrap the object, and when the final piece of cloth was pulled away, Hiccup's jaw dropped.

It was a sword.

It was unlike any viking sword. It was long, small. He reached out to it, hesitant.

'For me? But... I don't even know how to use a sword...'

'That is why we learn Hiccup! That is why we learn. You think we just knew how to use a sword or shoot a bow?'

'But people get hurt when I hold a sword!'

Wrenlou smiled, wrapping the weapon again. 'Trust me Hiccup. With the right guidance you'll master that weapon in no time.'

'You really think so?'

'Sure! Now come on, the day won't last forever, you wanted to see the market, and we have to go to my parents house. No time to waste.'

With a wide smile, the sword and the notebook pressed against his chest, Hiccup followed Wrenlou to the plaza again.

They walked over the market, past the many stalls. Hiccup found the notebook vendor and thanked him a thousand times. The man laughed it off, saying that is was nothing.

The smile didn't leave Hiccup's face when they walked away from the man, towards the palm tree in the middle. There were several street performers on the plaza. There was a juggler, currently juggling with a hand full of eggs. Hiccup watched with his jaw on the ground as the man tossed the eggs from one hand to the other in rapid procession, none of them ever falling to the ground.

'How does he do that?'

'Practice. He will most likely wonder how you stay on the dragon if he ever saw you fly.'

'It's awesome. It's downright incredible.'

They watched as the juggler ended his act by balancing the eggs on his head, stacking one on top of the other. The watching crowd clapped and the man took a bow, his eyes meeting Hiccup's. He smiled at the boy and carefully packed the eggs away again. Wrenlou pulled Hiccup along. Their progress was slow. Hiccup wanted to see every act, every performer.

They watched the acrobat, twisting himself in all sorts of very awkward and painful looking positions. They watched the fire-eater, after which Hiccup mumbled that the dragons did it better. There was a man who swallowed a sword, only to pull it out of his mouth moments later.

Hiccup watched all of them with endless fascination. He couldn't understand how the fire-eater's mouth didn't get burned, but he didn't know how the dragons kept their mouth from burning. He didn't understand how the sword swallowing man didn't die. Wrenlou couldn't give him any answers, and after seeing all the performers, all the stalls and items in display, they left the plaza.

They wandered the streets for hours, Hiccup enjoying everything he saw. The sword was now hanging around his waist, the notebook in Wrenlou's bag. He was peeling another orange, his third this hour. He took a deep breath, and stopped walking abruptly. Wrenlou turned around.

'Everything okay?'

'My feet hurt. And my back too.'

Wrenlou came back and put an arm around Hiccup's shoulder. 'Let's go to my parents house then. It's time for some real rest.'

They made their way through winding streets and Hiccup realized he hadn't even seen the harbor yet. He considered asking to go there, but the pain in his feet and the dull nagging in his back told him he really needed rest. He hadn't walked this much in one day in his entire life. He was sure every inch of his feet was blistered.

'Well, here we are.'

Hiccup looked up from his orange. They were standing in front of a gate. Behind the gate was a green garden, and a paved path led straight through the front door. Halfway it circled around a fountain, spraying clear water in the air. The garden itself looked well maintained, palm trees waving in the breeze. The building was made form white stone, with a red roof. A row of pillars lined the outside of the house on either side of the door.

The gate wasn't locked, which surprised Hiccup. Surely, a wealthy family would lock the gates to keep murderers and other criminals out? He didn't dare ask about it. They stopped in front of a large door, made from dark wood. Wrenlou raised his hand to the doorknob, but hesitated.

'Something wrong?'

Wrenlou sighed. 'I haven't seen my parents in three years. Well, almost three years. I don't think they expect me to be here...'

He took a deep breath and took hold of the round doorknob. When he turned it, he found de door was unlocked and he opened the door. A hallway was revealed, light pouring in from the windows. The hallway was lined with a row of pillars. Between the pillars were statues, mostly of men staring down at him with a judging look.

'Please don't mind my ancestors, they're always grumpy.

Hiccup laughed. He couldn't help it. He was nervous, but Wrenlou had broken the ice. He looked at the statues again. The men sure looked grumpy.

'They used to scare me when I was little. Especially him. I still don't like his expression.'

Wrenlou pointed to a statue at the end of the pillar row. He had an angry expression, staring straight at them. Unwittingly, Hiccup moved closer to Wrenlou. The hallway split up, going left and right. It was still little more than a roof supported by rows of pillars, but there were no more statues. There was a large open space in front of them. Hiccup could see the house on the left and the right and the opposite of the rectangular plaza like space. There was another fountain in the middle, much like the one in front.

'Who's there?'

Hiccup's head jerked up. A woman's voice suddenly called out through the hallway. Their arrival had been noticed. He turned to Wrenlou, opening his mouth to say something, but Wrenlou hushed him, shaking his head.

'Mom?'

There were rapid footsteps and the sound of opening doors. Before Hiccup could say anything, the door on the end of the hallway opened, revealing a tall woman. She had long black hair that was braided on her back, her green eyes widened as soon as she saw them.

'Wrenlou...'

She stood frozen for a moment, and Hiccup could see the resemblance. She had the same hair as her son, the same build. After a short moment, she must have mustered her surprise and she stepped forward, taking Wrenlou in a tight embrace.

'Oh Wrenlou...'

After a short hesitation, Wrenlou wrapped his arms around his mothers shoulders, burying his face in her chest.

'Hi mom.' He mumbled, the sound muffled.

She pulled away from him, cupping his face in her hands. She was smiling now. She ran a hand through his hair, before hugging him again. Hiccup stood a little lost, the remains of his orange still in his hand.

'Who's this?'

The woman had spoken again and when he looked up, he found her green eyes staring into his own.

'Mom, this is Hiccup. Hiccup, my mother, Helen.'

'H...hi...'

He was sure she didn't understand anything he said, but she smiled at his obvious greeting. Before he knew it, he found himself in her arms, held close in a tight embrace. He tensed. He had never known motherly affection, as his mother had been taken by a dragon when he had just been a baby. And now a strange woman was holding him like he was her son. She let go of him and gestured to the boys to follow her.

She led them to a place in the garden where a table stood, chairs around it. She told them to sit and disappeared again. Only a moment later she returned, with three cups filled with a red juice.

'Don't you have servants or something?' Hiccup whispered.

'Only during breakfast and dinner. My mom likes to do things herself.'

After Helen had made sure that they were comfortable, she sat down herself. She was watching her son with joy in her eyes, the kind of joy only a mother could feel when she saw her child again after a long time.

So, Wrenlou... How are you?'

'I'm fine mom, really.'

'What are you doing in the city? I thought... I mean, I know you were in Dragoncity, but I never thought...'

'Hiccup wanted to see Lightcity. And we're joining the other riders in the Bay in a few days, so we had time. And well, since we were in the city anyway, I thought I'd drop by...'

She smiled widely and turned to Hiccup. He was a little taken aback when she started talking to him and he didn't understand. He turned to Wrenlou, a slightly desperate expression on his face.

'She wants to know how you are. And what you think of the city. And how you got here... And about Toothless... Mom, can't we do this later? We're kinda tired from walking all day.'

She smiled and nodded, ruffling Wrenlou's hair. 'We sure can. Your father won't be home for at least another hour, why don't you show your friend around?'

Wrenlou nodded and drank the last of the juice. Hiccup looked at his cup. He hadn't tried it yet. It was pomegranate juice, and he remembered the pomegranate he had eaten earlier that day. Carefully he took a sip. It was sweeter than the actual fruit, but just as delicious.

'Come on Hiccup, I'll show you my room.'

Hiccup stood up, still holding the orange peels. When Helen noticed, she took them from his hand, smiling. Hiccup quickly ran after Wrenlou. Her loving attention towards him made him shy. He didn't know her, yet she treated them as if he was just as much her son as Wrenlou was.

They went up some stairs, then through a hall. Finally they stopped in front of a door and Wrenlou turned to Hiccup.

'Well, here we are. My room.'

He opened the door and allowed Hiccup to step in. The room was a large open space, windows on two sides. There was a bed in the corner, neatly made and Hiccup sat down on the edge. He looked around. There wasn't much in the room. There were some weapons, small bows and toy swords mostly. A closet stood next to the bed, there was a desk, a chair, that was about it.

'I'm afraid it's pretty boring.'

'It's wonderful.'

Wrenlou laughed and picked something from the ground. It was a black case with a vaguely familiar shape. He sat down next to Hiccup, and sighed. After hesitating for a moment, he opened it. Hiccup sat up.

Inside the case was a violin.

Wrenlou let his finger glide over the strings, before plucking one. He winced.

'It's a little out of tune...'

He lifted the instrument from it's protective nest and then pulled the long stick from the lid of the case.

'This is called a bow. You use it to play. But you saw that.'

Hiccup nodded. It was strange to see Wrenlou with a violin in his hands, and he couldn't really believe that he could actually play the thing. Wrenlou closed the case and set it next to the bed.

It took quite some time to get the violin tuned again. Hiccup had pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, resting his head on his knees. When the instrument as tuned again, Wrenlou sighed.

'Can you play now?'

'Hiccup...'

'Please?'

'I told you, it's been some time.'

'You could tune it.'

'That's easy.' He smiled when he saw Hiccup's face. 'Fine. I'll try.'

Hiccup's face lit up and he moved a little closer to Wrenlou. The other boy laughed at his eagerness and stood up.

'I need room to play. Don't want to knock your teeth out. What do you want to hear?'

'Can you play the one that man played? The first?'

'The Dance of the Dragons? I can... I don't have second violinist though, so it won't sound the same.'

Hiccup shrugged, inching closer to the edge of the bed. After giving him a sly smile, Wrenlou set the violin on his shoulder and started playing. Hiccup closed his eyes, rocking back and forth as he let the music fill his ears. Even though Wrenlou said that he was out of practice, he was good. He could feel himself drift away on the music. It lifted his spirits, gently hummed him to sleep...

'I haven't heard that sound in a long time.'

Hiccup shot up and Wrenlou nearly dropped the violin. When they turned to the door, they found a man standing there. He spread his arms.

'How is my youngest son?'

'Dad!'

Wrenlou launched forward, wrapping his arms around his father, still holding the violin. The man started laughing, lifting his son from the ground as he hugged him tightly. When the man set him down he winced, rubbing his ribs.

'And you must be Hiccup.'

Hiccup's eyes widened. He had understood the man. He had spoken Norse. Completely baffled, he nodded.

'It is very good to meet you again. My name is Aaron, Wrenlou's father. Come, let's go down.'

'How... how do you...'

'Speak Norse? I was a trader Hiccup, I have been to the Northern Lands. Never as far as Berk though... But it must be nice to finally have someone to talk to, yes?'

'But I can talk to Wrenlou...'

Aaron turned to his son. 'You speak Norse? I never taught you that.'

'I had a lot of time to read.'

'You learned it by reading? You keep surprising me.'

With one arm around Wrenlou's shoulders, and the other around Hiccup's, Aaron led them down again. This time, they didn't go to the garden, but to a dining area where long couches stood. As soon as they stepped in, Wrenlou was jumped by a girl from about seven or eight years old. She squealed as she latched onto his leg.

'Alia!'

Wrenlou pried his sister from his leg and lifted her up, carrying her in his arms. She wrapped her own arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Another girl came in, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw them.

'Wrenlou! What are you doing here!'

'Hey sis.'

She smiled and embraced him, wrapping her arms around him and the girl he was holding. Hiccup watched the whole exchange with a little bit of a sad feeling. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Aaron was looking at him with a smile on his face.

'You look better than the last time I saw you.'

'You... you saw me? When? Why?'

'Right after we got word a castaway had been found. I was send to investigate. At that time I had no idea it was Wrenlou who had found you. I didn't even see him with you when I was there.'

'That would be because I had to convince some people to let me stay. No... Alia.. Don't... OW!'

Wrenlou dumped the girl on one of the couches, rubbing his head with a pained expression.

'Come on. Let's sit down. Dinner will be served soon. Hiccup, I want you to tell me everything.'

Hiccup looked at Aaron, then to Wrenlou. Wrenlou smiled and gestured to the couch. Hiccup sat down, Wrenlou on his left, Aaron on his right. Helen sat down opposite of her husband, her oldest daughter next to her. The youngest child, Alia, ran towards Wrenlou and climbed on his lap, her head against his chest.

'When do you have to leave?'

'We have to be out of the city before nightfall. So don't ask to many questions dad, we'll get in trouble if we're not back at Dragoncity when the sun sets.'

'Don't worry! Now, let's eat first, then we can talk. And when it's time for you to go, we'll walk you there and wave you off.'

0-0-0-0-0-0

Dinner with Wrenlou's family had been the greatest dinner ever. After a while he had warmed up to Aaron. The man was everything his own father had never been. He was kind, caring, and he listened, really listened. At first, he had noticed he couldn't stop staring at the man's left hand and his missing fingers. When Aaron had caught him staring, he had let him examine the hand thoroughly. While they were eating, he had to answer all kinds of questions, some of which made him feel really uncomfortable. Aaron had sensed it, and had moved on. He was thankful for that.

Wrenlou had been claimed by his little sister. The girl had refused to leave his lap when the food arrived, so he had to eat with the child on his legs.

They had talked for what seemed to be hours, either Wrenlou or his father translating between Helen and Hiccup. He had just met these people, but they were warm and loving and he felt a kind of comfort and safety he hadn't felt before. And when it was time to go, they all went with them, as they had promised.

They were now walking through the streets towards the gates. Aaron was walking in front, arm in arm with his wife. Wrenlou's older sister, Stephanie, was walking beside her mother. Wrenlou and Hiccup followed a little slower, mostly because Alia was running all over the place, constantly brining back things she had found.

When they had finally made it back to where Snowflake and Toothless were waiting, the sun had started to set. The two riders were greeted with lots of slobber and Night Fury saliva on their faces. Wrenlou's parents seemed a little afraid of the dragons, while Alia didn't care at all. She had climbed up on Toothless' tail, hanging on with both hands when he lifted it to look at the little pest that had latched on.

'Come on Alia, get off.'

Wrenlou pulled his sister from Toothless' tail, handing her to his mother.

'Well, be careful.'

'Mom...'

Helen laughed and ruffled his hair again. After setting Alia down she embraced him, kissing his head.

'I love you, you know that right?'

'Of course I do.'

'Good. Give our love to Broghan as well.'

Wrenlou nodded and shrieked when he suddenly found himself in the strong arms of his father. Helen walked over to Hiccup embracing him too. This time, he didn't tense up, but he hugged her back. She pulled away from him and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, smiling warmly. Then she stepped back, putting an arm around her daughters.

'Well, Hiccup, it was nice to finally meet you.'

Aaron extended his hand and Hiccup shook it. Then he was pulled into a tight hug. Apparently people hugged a lot in Lightcity. He didn't mind. Actually, he loved it.

After saying goodbye to Stephanie and Alia, they mounted the dragons. There was a worried look on Helen's face when she saw her son climb onto a big, flying, fire breathing lizard. The Night Fury's spread their wings, eager to fly again.

With one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other on the saddle, Hiccup turned to Wrenlou. Wrenlou smiled and nodded. After waving at his parents one last time, Snowflake and Toothless jumped into the air, their wings beating fast to gain altitude. Hiccup found himself look back at the disappearing specks on the ground.

'I like them. Your parents.'

Wrenlou smiled. 'I told you, they're good people. And they like you as well. Especially my mom. Although I think she pities you.'

'That's okay... I would pity me if I were her.'

'Let's pick up speed. We don't want to be late.'

Hiccup nodded and moved his foot, clicking the prosthetic tailfin into another position. Almost instantly, the Night Fury's flew faster, racing across the sky. The wind was pulling their hair, their clothes and Hiccup clenched onto the sword as if he was afraid he would lose it.

Only now did he notice that Wrenlou had taken his violin, and he smiled.

He was exhausted, but it was a good kind of exhausted. He knew he would sleep great tonight.


	10. Becoming Friends, Part IV

_So Crimson-strength gave me a great idea...and I decided to write it. Being a violinist herself, she helped me with a lot of technical violin stuff. So thank you a lot!_

_E-K, this chapter is for you!_

_She made __fanart! You can find it here: __deviantart dot com, search for E-Kathryn, Oranges and Violin strings! _

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part IV**

Hiccup sat on his bed, legs crossed. He had woken up late, it had been past noon. Wrenlou had been there, with a whole stack of oranges, Snowflake and his violin. Snowflake was now playing with Toothless, chasing the older Night Fury around the bed. Hiccup was already on his fifth orange, and Wrenlou was fiddling with the violin.

They had decided to take a lazy day, after the hours of walking from the day before. Hiccup was thankful for that. He didn't have any blisters, but his feet were sore and painful. Now he was sitting on his bed, barefoot, the oranges scattered all around him. Wrenlou was sitting across from him, all his attention focused on his instrument. Hiccup was watching him with fascination. It was still strange to see Wrenlou holding a violin.

'What are you doing?'

'I'm trying to clean it. It hasn't been used for three years, there's tons of dust inside. That's why it didn't sound great yesterday. This thing needs more than a tuning to get back in shape. It needs a thorough tune up.'

'It sounded fine to me.'

Wrenlou smiled and looked up. 'I'm sure it did. But I've had it for years, I know it's not supposed to sound the way it did.' He turned his attention to the violin again. 'I'm probably going to need new strings...'

'Why?'

'These are gut strings. They deteriorate over time if not properly maintained. They're fragile, they could snap real easily.'

'Oh.'

Hiccup turned to the dragons when he was almost hit by a tail. Snowflake had pounced on Toothless, laying on his back and pinning him to the ground. He smiled as Toothless whipped his tail back and forth, wailing loudly. He pulled another piece from his orange and was about to say something to Wrenlou, when he heard a loud _twang_ followed by a yelp.

He jerked around to Wrenlou. The boy was clasping a hand over his left eye, swearing softly. The violin lay on his lap, one of it's strings curled up and obviously broken. Hiccup chuckled, then started laughing. The string was swaying softly, the sound still resonating in the room. All in all, it looked rather comically.

'Stop laughing... It's not funny... Gods, this hurts...'

Instantly, Hiccup stopped laughing and he scooted closer to Wrenlou. 'I'm sorry...'

'It's okay... Oh gods... It burns. It hurts... Oh man...'

'Wrenlou? Are you okay?'

Wrenlou groaned softly. He was bent over, his hands pressed against his face. Worriedly, Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder. He had no idea what to do. He bit his lip, looking around the room. He spotted the bowl of water and slid off the bed. He dipped a cloth in the water and gave it to Wrenlou, then he turned to Toothless.

'Come on bud. Lets go get a healer shall we?'

The dragon shook Snowflake from his back and crawled to his paws. Thankfully he was still wearing the saddle and Hiccup climbed on his back, opening the tailfin. They sailed down to the plaza, landing in front of the hospital.

'Wait here for me, okay?'

The dragon wailed, as if to say that he wouldn't be able to go anywhere without the boy anyway and Hiccup ran inside. He ignored the shouts from people and rushed towards the room where the healer had taken care of his back a few days prior. Panting, he knocked. When the door opened, he found the same woman who had looked after him and relief washed over him. She looked at him questioningly and he pulled her sleeve, trying to get her to follow him. She frowned. Hiccup sighed, looking to the door and back to her. How could he make it clear to her that he needed her to follow him? He pulled her sleeve again and pointed at the door. She shook her head, still not sure of what he wanted. Hiccup frowned, then his face lit up. He pretended to hold a violin, playing it, and looked at the woman. She nodded. This she understood. He plucked the invisible string of the violin, still looking at the woman. She nodded again. Then he made the sound the string had made when it broke, and pretended it hit him on his face. Her eyes widened when she finally understood what he meant. She asked him something he didn't understand. He pulled her sleeve again and she allowed herself to be pulled along the hall.

At the door she stopped, placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked back at her.

'Wrenlou?' She asked.

Hiccup jumped up, nodding. 'Wrenlou!' He mimicked the broken string to the face again.

She gave a final nod and opened the door. Hiccup was feeling relieved he had made her see what he meant and why she needed to come.

He jumped back on Toothless and looked at her. She climbed behind him and they flew up again. Wrenlou hadn't moved. He was still on the bed, now pressing the wet cloth on his face. She sat down next him, immediately noticing the violin and the broken string. She put a hand on his shoulder and he looked up. When she pulled his hands away from his face, Hiccup gasped. There was a red welt right across Wrenlou's left eye, standing out against his skin. She tenderly ran her finger across the mark, then stood up. Before Hiccup could say anything, she had left again.

'Hiccup... Thanks...'

Hiccup sat down next to Wrenlou. His eyelid was swollen, his eye cracked open only a little. Hiccup watched the red line with worry in his eyes, before tentatively reaching out to touch it. Wrenlou slapped his hand away, bringing his own hand up to cover the mark. Hiccup mumbled an apology and just sat next to Wrenlou. He really had no idea what to do. He wrapped his arms around Wrenlou's waist, resting his head against his chest. He had no idea if that would help, but he felt Wrenlou's arm around his own shoulders.

The door opened and the healer came back. Hiccup quickly pulled away from Wrenlou when she sat down on the bed again, taking Wrenlou's chin and turning his head to face her. She pulled something out of the bag she was carrying. It was a jar and when she screwed the lid off, they could see there was some sort greenish salve in it. She tenderly applied it to the welt, Wrenlou wincing when she touched him. Hiccup took hold of Wrenlou's right arm, resting his head against his shoulder in a small effort to comfort him.

When she was done, she screwed the lid back on the jar and handed it to Wrenlou. After exchanging a few words she left again, closing the door softly.

'You can let go of my arm now.'

Hiccup looked up. Wrenlou was looking at him, smiling a little. The red mark was still swollen and looked very painful, and Hiccup felt guilty for laughing when the string had snapped.

'Thanks. For getting her.'

Hiccup felt his face turn red. 'I... I didn't know what to do...'

'Apparently you did.' Wrenlou sighed as he picked up the violin. 'I never thought it would hurt this much. I've had strings snap before, but they never hit my face.'

He quickly removed the broken string from the violin and sighed, looking at the two pieces.

'Where are you going to find new strings?'

'That is a very good question. In Lightcity I would know, but here...'

'Can't the violin player from the Hall help?'

'You know what, he might. Come on, let's go find him.'

Wrenlou picked up the violin and grunted when he got up. He ran a finger over the welt.

'My brother is not going to be happy. I can imagine Dale won't be either.'

'Dale? Who's Dale?'

He's our teacher. He's the one in charge of teaching us all we need to know. He too can get a little protective.'

They walked onto the plaza, blinking against the sunlight. Wrenlou crossed his arms, the violin dangling between his fingers.

'Alright. Where could he be...'

'In the Hall?' Hiccup offered.

'That's possible. Lets take a look.'

But upon entering the Hall, they found that the violin player wasn't there. So they went back outside. After searching the city for about an hour, it was Hiccup who spotted the man and they ran towards him. He looked up, surprised, but a smile spread across his face when he saw Hiccup. As soon as his eyes fell on Wrenlou, he frowned.

'What happened to you?'

'The string broke.' Wrenlou said, holding out the violin. 'I know you play. Where do you get your strings?'

The man took the instrument, stroking it with long fingers. 'The string broke you said? This violin has been neglected for a long time.'

'It has. It's been inside it's case for three years. I never planned on leaving with a dragon that day of the Choosing, but I did. I had no time to go back for it.'

The man mumbled something while he continued to investigate Wrenlou's violin. Hiccup looked at Wrenlou, who shrugged. Then the man turned to them again.

'I make my own strings.'

'You... you do?'

The man nodded and handed Wrenlou the violin back. 'I have a workshop not far from here. Come with me, I'll show you.'

'Come on Hiccup.'

'Where are we going?'

'Apparently he makes his own strings. He's taking us there now.'

They followed the man towards a small building. He opened the door and gestured them inside. As soon as they stepped into the small room, they were overwhelmed by a smell that was worse than rotten fish.

'Oh my gods... what is that.'

'I told you, strings are made from gut. Sheep gut to be exact. Breathe through your mouth, not your nose.'

'It's disgusting... oh my gods...'

'So. Do you know how to make strings?'

Wrenlou turned to the man, who had opened a window to let some fresh air in. 'I did know how to do that. I'm afraid I have forgotten it. As I said, I haven't touched this thing in three years.'

The man nodded, rearranging some things on his work bench. Then he walked to a cabinet and pulled a few things out.

'Here. Why don't you give that violin a proper cleaning. I'll get some strings for you. I have a few laying in back, I'll go see if they are the right size for your violin.

'Why would you do that?'

'Why? Because of your friend over there. He's the first to ask me to play more. He watched me play with a marveled look in his eyes. That's what I do it for. If I help you fix your violin, you can play for him when I can't. And if you have to get the strings from Lightcity, it takes forever to get them here. That's why I started making my own. Now, give that instrument the care it deserves, okay?'

Wrenlou nodded, walking back to where Hiccup had sat down. He sat down next to him, handing Hiccup one of the jars the man had given him.

They worked in silence. Hiccup and Wrenlou to get the violin completely cleaned and polished, the man to get the strings ready. It took them about two hours of intense attention to get the violin fully cleaned, and by then the man was watching them, four strings ready. The two thicker strings were wrapped in a silver wire, a small piece of colored silk at both ends. When Hiccup looked at the strings still attached to the violin, he saw that the two thicker strings were indeed different from the smaller ones. He picked up one of the strings, carefully twisting it around in his hands.

'It feels really light. I don't really understand how it could have snapped back with so much force it left a mark.'

'There's a lot of tension on those strings. Think of it as a bowstring. In order to make the arrow fly, you have to pull the string back, put a lot of tension on it. This is just the same. It snapped, recoiling because of the tension, and basically acting like a whip.'

Hiccup watched while Wrenlou strung the violin, one string at a time. It certainly looked difficult, but Wrenlou seemed to have no problem with it what so ever. When the last string was replaced the man held out a hand, probably offering to tune it for him, but Wrenlou drew the instrument close to his chest.

'I can do it.'

The man didn't answer but gave a slight nod. After handing Wrenlou a bow, the boy sighed. He glanced over at Hiccup, seeing the wonder and excitement in his eyes and smiled. It took a good deal longer than the previous time to completely tune the violin. After about two hours, Wrenlou sighed, letting the violin slip from his shoulder.

'Are you done?'

'I think so, yes.'

'Can you play for me?'

'I guess I can.'

A wide smile spread across Hiccup's face. After making sure all the strings had the proper notes, Wrenlou took a deep breath.

'So you do play it? It's not just something for decoration?'

The man was standing in the doorway, holding his own violin. Hiccup now noticed that Wrenlou's violin was made from a slightly darker wood.

'I do. I played for years before being forced to stop because of the dragon.'

Wrenlou sounded a little offended and the man laughed. 'I didn't mean to offend you. You wouldn't believe how many people have a violin and know how to tune it, but not play it. That's why I asked. I take playing very seriously.'

Wrenlou smiled. 'It's okay. I get it.'

'So.' The man came in shouldering the violin. 'Play with me.'

Wrenlou nodded, readying his own instrument. 'Like what?'

The man shrugged. 'I don't know. What can you play?'

'Oh Oh! Dance of the Dragons!' Hiccup piped up, bouncing up and down.

Wrenlou laughed. 'Aren't you getting bored by that? There are so much more songs I can play.'

'But I like it...'

'How about this: I will play it for you, tonight, before you go to sleep.'

Hiccup nodded. He knew the sweet tones from the song would hush him to sleep quickly, like they had done after the first time he had heard it and they had been dancing around in his head. He had no idea you could play energetic, activating music on a violin, until Wrenlou started playing.

The song he had started was fast, inviting to dance. After a while the second violin pitched in, and where the violins had sang together in the hall, now they danced together. Hiccup's grin grew wider and wider. He had loved the way the Dance of the Dragons had made him feel. The way it had hushed him to sleep, driven him into a trance, but this was even better. He found he couldn't sit still. He started tapping along with the violin music, rocking from side to side in some sort of sitting dance.

The music slowed to an almost dreamy pace, the violins singing once again, before they picked up pace again. Hiccup couldn't keep his eyes of Wrenlou. The way his fingers darted over the strings, the way he moved the bow. It was magical to Hiccup, who hadn't even expected Wrenlou to own a violin. As the two violinists kept playing, Hiccup could hear the difference now that the instrument was properly cleaned and in possession of new strings. The notes were clearer, the sound resonating through the small room.

'That was an easy one.' The man said when the song was over.

'Easy? For you maybe, I haven't played in years!'

'You managed to keep the pace. And you play very well, but at least challenge me.'

'Maybe I will. Just not at the moment. Right now the strings need to settle. I don't want to break them again.'

The man nodded, then pointed the bow at Wrenlou's chest. 'I will take you up on that one day. When you are a sworn in dragon rider here in the city, I will take you up on that offer.'

'And I'll be looking forward to it. Come on Hiccup, lets go.'

'You won't play anymore?'

'Not at the moment. New strings need to settle. Make no mistake Hiccup, the risk of breaking new strings is just as great as breaking old ones. I would like to avoid this happening a second time. Once was quite enough.'

Hiccup looked at the red mark on Wrenlou's face. 'It's not as red as it was.'

'It better not be. It still hurts like a bitch though.'

'I don't think I can imagine how that must feel.'

'Hmm... Did you ever have a bowstring snap on you and hit your arm?'

Hiccup shook his head. 'My father never allowed me to handle a bow. He always said that people would get hurt if I picked up weapons. After we left Berk I did have a bow, but the string never snapped.'

'Well, you better hope that never happens. Because it hurts like hell. Not as much as a string in the face though.'

'Am I going to learn to shoot a bow in Learners Bay?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'We have to choose a primary weapon. Either sword or bow. Mine's a bow. You can still choose.'

'But now I have the sword.'

'So? I have a sword as well. Just because a bow is my primary weapon, doesn't mean that I never train with the others again. And a bow is nice, but how am I going to fight when my arrows run out?'

'Okay... good point...'

'How about some food? I'm starving. We skipped lunch.'

Before Hiccup could answer, his stomach growled like a hungry animal. Startled, he wrapped his arms around his stomach and looked up at Wrenlou. After a short moment of silence, they started laughing.

'To the Hall it is then.'

'Wrenlou? Can I... can I hold it?'

'What? The violin?'

Hiccup nodded, avoiding Wrenlou's eyes, his own fixed on the ground. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

'Hold it then. But be careful, and don't break the strings. You know what happens.'

Hiccup smiled while he took the instrument from Wrenlou. 'Yeah. It snaps, there's a loud _twang_ and then you have a mark across your face.'

Wrenlou sighed. 'Very funny Hiccup, very funny. But I'm glad you went to get a healer. For a moment I thought I'd gone blind.'

Hiccup's head snapped up. 'Never do that! Don't ever go blind!'

Laughing, Wrenlou held up his hands. 'Alright, take it easy. I will do my best to never go blind.'

Hiccup smiled widely as he walked next to Wrenlou, the violin against his chest. Even though he had no clue on how to play it, it felt incredible to be holding it. When they entered the Hall, there were only a few people there. It was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. It was a good thing that there was always something to eat.

While Wrenlou went to get some food, Hiccup sat down, very carefully placing the violin on the table. He let his finger glide of the the newly polished wood, carefully stroking the instrument's curves.

'You look like you're in love.'

Hiccup looked up, smiling. 'Maybe I am. In love with the sound. In love with the music. Can you be in love with music?'

'Why not?' Wrenlou raised his cup, Hiccup did the same. 'Here's to music, and that it will always brighten our day, no matter how wet, no matter how grey.'

'Did you just... rhyme?'

'Not intentionally.'

'You rhymed!'

'Well... yes. But like I said, I didn't mean to.'

Hiccup smiled widely and Wrenlou chuckled at his face. Shaking his head, he muttered something.

'What? What did you say?'

Wrenlou looked up. 'That we're starting language lessons tomorrow.'

'Awesome! I can't wait. And tonight you will play, right?'

'Yes Hiccup, tonight I will play for you. Now eat your food. We could start language lessons tonight if you want, but you have to eat your food for that first. And no touching the violin with dirty fingers!'

'Don't worry, I won't. Promise.'

Wrenlou chuckled again. The pain was forgotten, the initial shock of the broken string behind him. He had no idea that an instrument he never really liked could move so much in another human being. Hiccup's enthusiasm had rekindled something in his own heart. A passion for the music he hadn't known before. Hiccup made him see how beautiful the tones the strings produced really were. It was Hiccup who had made him take the thing in the first place. He smiled when he looked at the boy, staring lovingly at the violin. Hiccup brought a lot of new things to Dragoncity, he just didn't know it yet.

One day, he would find out.

One day he would realize that his father had been wrong to deny him the use of weapons.

One day, he would reach his full potential, and when that day came, Wrenlou was sure he would be there, playing the violin.

Just for Hiccup.

_In case anyone wonders where I get my inspiration for music, you should listen to the music from Two Steps From Hell, BrunuhVille, Lindsey Stirling, Celtic Woman... These are people that inspire me majorly. For the first song that Wrenlou and our nameless violinist play together I used Rising Sun, from BrunuhVille. Check it out, enjoy it, or hate it, whatever you like. I'm just setting this little piece of information down here so you know what songs I use to write these scenes. Maybe it gives you a better sense of the scene as a whole._


	11. Becoming Friends, Part V

_So, language... yep, that was hard. I mixed a few languages together, using words from spanish, italian and dutch. It's not really about the correct grammar, just the words that Hiccup doesn't understand, and needs to learn. All these words come from google translate, which is, as you might know, not always accurate. So I apologize for any funky mistakes I made..._

_There's a list of words on the bottom, summarizing what words I used and what language they came from._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part V**

'Wait... hang on, I think I got it... wait...'

Hiccup frowned, biting his lip. He was trying to remember the answer to the question Wrenlou had just asked him. Of course he knew the answer, but the tricky part was he had to know it in the language of Dragoncity too.

'No I don't got it. Man, this is hard! How did you learn mine in just three weeks!'

Wrenlou shrugged. 'Nobody came interrupting, I could focus all day long. Alright, different approach. Do you know Verdad o se Atreve? Truth or Dare?'

'No... I don't think I do... What is it?'

'It's a game. It's really simple. I start by asking you "Truth or Dare". You have to choose either one. Say you choose Truth, I ask you a question. Something like, I don't know... How old are you. For example. You have to answer truthfully, you can't lie. You get it so far?' Hiccup nodded. 'So, if you don't know an answer, just say "I don't know". Don't make stuff up. Alright, say you choose Dare. I can ask you something like, would you jump from the roof and trust Toothless to catch you. If it's something you would do, you say yes. If you then want to do it, you're welcome to, but ou don't have to. Again, if you're not sure if you would do it, just say so. Get it?'

Hiccup nodded, a little hesitant. 'So, I suppose I can't use Norse?'

'Just use the words you know. I will ask in my language first, then in yours, okay

Hiccup nodded again.

'Alright. You start.'

'But... me?'

'Just ask me Truth or Dare. And don't say it in Norse.'

'Okay... I think I can do that. What, what was it again?'

'Verdad o se Atreve_._ Just like that. You don't have to get the pronunciation right at the first try.'

'Eh... Vedad o se Atreve_?'_

Wrenlou laughed. 'Verdad. It's verdad.'

'Verdad... Verdad o se Atreve?'

'Yes, that's it! Hmmm... let me see... Verdad.'

''That's... truth, right?' Wrenlou nodded. 'Eh... So now I ask you a question, right? Any kind of question?' Wrenlou nodded again. 'Okay. I know how old you are... I met your parents... oh! What is Learners Bay like?'

Wrenlou scratched his head, frowning. 'What is it like... Well, it's a bay. Obviously. It's rather large. I think you have to see it as some sort of a U-shaped stretch of land. It's... damn, this is harder than I thought... wait, where's your notebook?'

'Em... I don't... Oh wait.'

Hiccup stood up and ran towards Toothless. After digging around in the saddlebag, he pulled his notebook and the pencil out of it. He ran back to Wrenlou and handed him the items. Wrenlou quickly flipped through the pages, stopping sometimes to look at one of the many things Hiccup had drawn. After some drawings of Lightcity, he stopped at an empty page.

'Okay, here's how it is...'

After a quick sketch and a lot of talking, Hiccup nodded. He had realized he had to see the bay for himself to fully understand what it was like. He did understand that it was quite a beautiful place, where the sunsets were always calm and the nights serene. After Hiccup had put his notebook away, laying it down next to him.

'Right. My turn. Verdad o se Atreve

'Verdad!'

'Lo que es Berk como?

'Eh... Did you just ask what Berk was like?' When Wrenlou nodded, Hiccup jumped up. 'Yes! I understood that!'

'Yes you did. Now answer the question. What's it like?'

'It's always cold. There's always snow. Wait, here, look.'

He showed Wrenlou the first page of his notebook, where he had drawn the map of Berk while he had gone looking for Toothless.

'This is the village. This is Raven Point, where Toothless came down after I shot him. Here's Thor's Beach.'

Wrenlou took the notebook from him, staring at the page. 'It really is tiny, isn't it.'

Hiccup nodded. 'Does that answer your question okay? I don't really like to talk about it.'

'Sure it does. Your turn.'

'Verdad o se Atreve.'

'Hmm...' Wrenlou tapped his chin with his finger. 'Atreve.'

'Okay... I dare you to stand on Snowflake's back while she's flying!'

'Stand on her back... I might do that. Not at the moment though, at Learners Bay.'

'But you would do it?'

'Sure! Why not.' He chuckled when Hiccup grinned. 'My turn again. Verdad... o se Atreve...'

Hiccup promptly started laughing at the way Wrenlou had asked the question. He had made it sound like it was something creepy.

'Verdad.'

'Again? Alright... Qué tipos de dragones viven en Berk?'

'Eh.. I understood the dragones... dragons, right?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Qué means what, tipos is types, de is of, dragones you guessed, viven means live and en means in, or on. So the questions is...'

'What types of dragons live on Berk?' Wrenlou smiled and nodded. 'Em... we have Deadly Nadders, Gronckles, Hideous Zipplebacks, Monstrous Nightmares...'

Pesadilla Monstuosa, I'm familiar with those. I have no idea about the rest though...'

'Pesadilla... Monstruosa... That's a Monstrous Nightmare? What's a Night Fury?'

'Furia Noche. Fury of the Night. You know what, how about you ask me one more, I ask you one more, then we just drop the whole game. I think it's easier if you just ask me.'

Hiccup nodded. 'My turn, right?'

'I can spare you the question. Truth. No, wait, Verdad.'

Hiccup smiled. He pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around his knees as he stared out over the ocean, trying to think of a question.

'What do you learn in Learners Bay?'

'Flying, obviously. Fighting, both with a bow and a sword. You said you had a bow, so you have some experience right? We built it up. We start with shooting at stationary targets, while being still ourselves. Then the targets stay still while we move, then the other way around. The last step is moving while shooting a moving target, like when you're hunting from the dragons back. With sword fighting we learn different things, and we train both hands. Besides the weapons and the flying, we also have history, astronomy, science. Bunch of other boring things.'

'It sounds great! History of Dragoncity?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Of Dragoncity, and of the Night Fury's. We also learn how to act in certain situations, like when things go wrong. We are taught some basic medical knowledge, which was how I was able to save your life.'

'Awesome... I can't wait! I want to go there now!'

'We'll get there soon enough, don't worry. Now it's my turn again. Verdad o se...'

'Dare!' Hiccup shouted. 'No... em... Atre...ve, right?'

'Okay... dare it is. I dare you to show me your most dangerous stunt when we are in the Bay.'

'I can do that... yeah, I will do that.'

Wrenlou smiled, but Hiccup grinned. His most dangerous stunt involved jumping from the dragons back, falling freely through the sky. He doubted if any of the riders at Learners Bay had ever done that.

'Wren? When did you start flying lessons?'

'About six months ago, at the start of year three. Now, come on, ask away. If course the language is a lot more than just words, there are nouns, adjectives, verbs... grammar... you know, the whole thing, but knowing words will help you learn. I could start by telling you the basic things, is that okay?'

'Sure... I guess.'

'Right. You know good day.'

'Buona... giornata, right?'

'Yes. Now, you should know good night.'

'Eh... I don't think...'

'Think of the Night Fury, what is night?'

'Noche! Buona noche!'

'Not entirely. It's buona notte. Usually we say buongiorno and buonasera, which means good morning and good evening.'

'Buongiorno and buonasera... I can remember that.'

'Alright. Now, what do you want to know right now?'

'I don't know... can you tell me some dragon riding terms? Like... wings or something?'

'Wings are vleugels, the tail is called a staart, legs are piernas...'

'Wait! Let me write it down!'

Hiccup grabbed his notebook and pencil, quickly flipping through the pages until he found an empty one. He quickly scribbled down the words as Wrenlou repeated them, adding more. His list grew and grew, spanning almost nine pages when Wrenlou stopped.

'You should read some books. It really helped me. We have a few books in my language as well as yours. I used those to learn.'

Hiccup nodded. His mind was spinning. As he was reading the list of words again, he frowned.

'Wrenlou? Can I ask something?'

'Certainly.'

'Is it hard? Your language?'

'I don't think so, but I was taught it from the moment I started talking. I don't think it will be too hard though, and I'll be here to help.'

'Okay. There's just so much to learn. Your language, your rules, fighting, flying...'

'You'll be fine. You already know how to fly. You've been flying before I did. You've been on the run before we started flying with our dragons, surely you are better than we are.'

'But I didn't have my dragon since he hatched. Our bond is different.'

'That doesn't make it any less strong. You and Toothless are close, very close.'

Hiccup smiled. 'Wrenlou? What is my name in your language? And Toothless'? And Snowflake's?'

'You mean literally translated? Let me see... Hiccup would be Hikkie, Toothless... Toothless would be Tandloos, and Snowflake is fiocco di neve.'

Hiccup chuckled, then started laughing. 'Hikkie? Really? Oh my gods... I like your language! I like that name!'

'I will NOT call you Hikkie.' Wrenlou said, standing up. 'I will not. I refuse.'

'Okay okay, I guess we can stick to Hiccup. What's your name?'

'You mean translated? Well, Wrenlou means gentle, if that's what you mean.'

'Really? Gentle? That suits you.'

Wrenlou started laughing. 'Yeah, I guess it does. Okay, enough with the language today, it's boring. Lets go somewhere fun.'

'My head is spinning anyway. And I think I'm getting a headache.'

'Hmm... I know the perfect place to clear your head. Come on.'

Hiccup followed Wrenlou down the beach. They walked along the seashore, the sand slowly turning to stone, the path taking them up. They stopped at the edge of a cliff and Wrenlou turned to Hiccup.

'This is amazing. Watch.'

He hopped on Snowflake's bare back, holding on to one of the spines. He gestured Hiccup to do the same with Toothless.

'We can't go flying! He doesn't have his tailfin! And I thought we were forbidden to fly...'

'Oh, we're not flying. Look.'

Snowflake launched forward, jumping off the cliff with her wings stretched. Hiccup gasped as he watched her fall, but suddenly, she shot up, not even moving her wings. Toothless wailed, moving closer to the edge. Hiccup jumped on his back. It felt strange to be on the dragon's back without the saddle. Toothless wailed again, then jumped of the cliff, like Snowflake had. After falling a little, the wind caught the dragons wings and carried him higher into the sky. Hiccup's eyes widened in amazement.

'How is this possible?' He shouted to Wrenlou

'No idea!' Wrenlou shouted back. 'Isn't it great?'

Hiccup smiled widely. For the first time he was flying Toothless' without the saddle. The air lifting them higher and higher felt warmer than the rest, but he didn't even care. Toothless wailed loudly, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. When Hiccup looked over at Wrenlou again, his smile got even wider.

Wrenlou was standing on Snowflake's back.

He had an almost ridiculous smile on his face as he waved at Hiccup. Carefully he sat down again and steered Snowflake closer to Hiccup and Toothless.

'That was awesome!'

Wrenlou shrugged. 'Here it's easier. The current keeps you from falling.'

'It still looked dangerous.'

'That's because it was.' Wrenlou looked down. 'We should get back down.'

Hiccup glanced at the ground. The island had shrunk, no more than a rock on the ocean.

'How do we do that?'

'Easy, we glide down. Come one.'

Snowflake flapped her wings, leaving the upward current. She circled down, hardly using her wings. Toothless followed. Hiccup was clenching onto the dragon with all his strength, afraid he might crash, but nothing happened and they landed safely.

'That was so amazing! Can we go again?'

Wrenlou laughed. Not the moment. Maybe later. Right now we have to go back to Dragoncity. It's getting late again, and tomorrow we have to get ready to leave. Lot's of packing, very boring.'

'Are we leaving tomorrow? I thought we were laving the day after tomorrow.'

'We are, but it's best if we pack tomorrow. That way we can leave early. It's been nearly five weeks since I found you, the sooner we get back there, the better.'

Hiccup nodded, the dragons ran along the beach, chasing each other, their riders still on their backs.

'Wrenlou? Do you ever fly bareback? Besides there, I mean.'

'I want to, but Dale won't let me. He says it's to dangerous. But I think it's the ultimate trust exercise. You have to completely trust your dragon if you have nothing to hold on to. So I will fly bareback, even if he says no.'

Hiccup smiled and looked at Toothless tail. He felt guilty for ripping the fin and robbing the dragon of his flight, but now he realized what he robbed himself of. He would never be able to fly Toothless bareback, unless he could come up with some contraption to control the fin without the saddle.

The fin would grow back, Wrenlou had said, but it will take time. Fifty to eighty years.

He sighed. Toothless would have to wait fifty to eighty years to be able to fly without him again. By that time, he might not want to anymore. Maybe he wouldn't even be able to do so anymore. Maybe by that time, he needed the weight from his rider to steer straight.

'I'm sorry bud.' He mumbled, placing his head on the dragon's head.

Toothless crooned in response, running faster to be able to run next to Snowflake. When they slower their pace, Hiccup couldn't imagine how different his life would have been if he hadn't shot down the dragon, or if he had killed him.

And what would have happened if Toothless had never lost the tailfin?

He would have never learned the truth about dragons, that's what. He would still be the screw-up, the runt.

He shook his head, pressing his hands against his temples to get rid of the memories and questions that suddenly flooded his mind.

'Hiccup? Everything alright?'

He looked up at Wrenlou and smiled. He nodded, the memories fading, his questions buried at the back of his mind.

'I've never been better.'

'Good. That's good. If anything's wrong, just tell me, okay?'

Hiccup nodded again. Wrenlou had been with him constantly for the past few weeks, and he wondered what he would have done without him. How different would waking up have been, if Wrenlou had given in to the demands to go back to the bay. Would he have decided to stay then? Would he have found a home?

He didn't want to think about it and pushed the thought aside.

Wrenlou was the first real friend he had ever had, and the best friend he would ever have.

_Words I used for the language of Night Fury Island:_

_Spanish:_

_Verdad o se atreve: Truth or dare_

_Vedad o se atreve: Novelty or dare_

_Lo que es Berk como: What is Berk like?_

_Furia Noche: Night Fury_

_Qué tipos de dragones viven en berk: What types of dragons live on Berk?_

_Pesadilla Monstruosa: Monstrous Nightmare_

_Piernas: Legs_

_Fiocco di neve: Snowflake_

_Italian:_

_Buono giornata: Good day_

_Buona notte Good night_

_Buongiorno Good morning_

_Buonasera: Good night _

_Dutch:_

_Vleugels: Wings_

_Staart: Tail_

_Hikkie and Tandloos are the names of Hiccup and Toothless in dutch. It means the same, but personally I think Hikkie sounds like an endearment, something you would call a child._

_Again, I apologize for any mistakes in the words or sentences. Google translate helps, but can't really be trusted. Feel free to correct me if you do know the proper way to say it, and I'm open for more words!_


	12. Becoming Friends, Part VI

_Last part of this story is here! A new one starts after this, so don't worry!_

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Becoming Friends, Part VI**

'Hiccup, get up!'

Hiccup grunted and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He yawned before he looked around. Wrenlou was standing next to the bed, Snowflake at his side. Toothless crooned from the other side of the bed, demanding attention. Wrenlou crossed his arms.

'Come on, we have tons of stuff to do today.'

Hiccup sighed. Packing. He didn't like packing. He didn't even know what to take!

'Can we at least have breakfast first?'

'Of course! Can't start packing without breakfast. Now get dressed, we'll be downstairs.'

Wrenlou mounted the white dragon, and they flew off. Hiccup yawned again, just sitting on the bed for a while. Then he quickly slipped into his clothes, and flew Toothless down to the plaza. The dragons ran away to get some fish, the boys went into the Hall. Once they had settled down on their usual table, Hiccup sighed.

'I don't know what to take.'

'Well, you need your sword, all of your clothes, the notebook, I can imagine. The saddle, the tailfin... Don't forget the dragon.'

'Now you're just stating the obvious.'

'Hey, you were asking what you needed to take, I'm telling you.'

'Very funny. But it was a serious question.'

'The first part was a serious answer. You need the sword, clothes, notebook. Anything else you want to take.'

'That's just it, I don't know what I want to take. I mean, should I like, take a dagger?'

'Do you have one?'

Hiccup shook his head. He had lost all his weapons when he had been captured by the strange men that nearly killed him. He had arrived on Night Fury Island with just the clothes he was wearing, and whatever was left in the saddlebags.

'Then we'll have to find you one.'

'Is that necessary?'

'To have a dagger? Yes. I have one with me at all times. It's not only a weapon, it's a tool. You never know when you need it.'

'Okay... I think I understand that. But what else? Do I need to take food? Or a blanket or anything?'

'No. no food, no blanket, that's all present in the bay.'

'Then... then I don't have much to take...'

'Oh don't worry about it, you don't have to. As long as you have everything you need. You might want to take some oranges though, we don't have those in the bay.'

'What? Why not?'

'The bay is really secluded. Everything we eat, we grow there, or hunt ourselves. So we eat a lot of fish, because of the dragons, you know? But oranges don't grow there, so we don't have those. If you want them, you have to take them.'

'I do want them. I love them.'

To emphasize his words he picked the orange from his plate. He had started to get handier in peeling the thing, but it was still a challenge.

'Okay.' Wrenlou said, putting down his cup. 'So we need to get oranges, and find you a dagger somewhere. Maybe the blacksmith can help with that. We can go ask him.'

Hiccup nodded, his mouth full of orange. After he swallowed the pieces, he put the rest down, picking up some bread.

'I was a blacksmith's apprentice before I left.'

'You... really?'

'Hard to believe, I know.' Hiccup looked at his arms. They didn't exactly look like he had worked in a forge before.

'That's how I was able to make Toothless' tailfin. And the saddle.'

Wrenlou's eyes widened. 'You made all that? Really?'

Hiccup nodded, suddenly feeling shy again. He quickly stuffed the rest of the orange in his mouth.

'You continue to amaze me, you know that?'

Hiccup felt his cheeks go red and he mumbled something intelligible. Wrenlou just laughed.

'Maybe you could go into apprenticeship in the city. Later, when we're done learning.' Wrenlou sighed, resting his head in his hands. 'Really, I wish I didn't have to take you there. Don't get me wrong, the place is amazing, and Dale is a great guy, but learning is such a bore...'

'I bet it's amazing.'

'Yeah sure, that's because you join us in our last year. Not even the whole year. We're just getting to all the fun stuff. You skipped the boring part.'

'Raising a baby dragon is boring?'

After sipping the rest of the juice from his cup, Wrenlou sighed and shook his head.

'That's not boring, that's hazardous. Especially when they discover their flame. Lots of things get burned when that happens. A single sneeze, and you're on fire if you're not careful. That's how this happened.' He gestured to the scar under his arm. 'Snow was climbing all over me, not fully aware of how sharp her claws were. And she scratched me.'

'Now I really wish I could have known Toothless as a baby.'

'It would have been different. But, are you ready?'

'Yes, I'm ready. Where are we going first?'

'The forge. Have I shown you the forge before? I don't think I have...'

'You didn't.' Hiccup said, stacking the plates. 'I don't even know where it is. It isn't on the plaza is it?'

'No, but it's close. Come on! Let's get you a dagger shall we?'

'I had one... I made it myself. But I lost it.'

'When he...?'

Hiccup shook his head while they walked out of the Hall. 'When I met Toothless. He had me throw it in the lake when we first met. I forgot to retrieve it when I left.'

'I'm sure that once you become the blacksmith's apprentice, you can make tons of daggers if you like.'

Hiccup smiled weakly while they walked through the streets. He missed working the forge a little. Usually Gobber would have just given him something to do, and left him alone with his work. Even though it had been hard work, he had enjoyed it.

He heard the forge before he saw it. The sound of the hammer on metal rang through the air. As soon as the building came into view, he saw it was much bigger than the one on Berk. The smith was a large man with short brown hair, no more than a stubble. His bare torso was shimmering with sweat as he worked the pice of metal on the anvil. He stopped as soon as he saw them, placing his work in the fire again. After he had exchanged a few words with Wrenlou, he placed it back on the anvil.

'He said that he didn't have a dagger for you, but he's willing to make one for you.'

Hiccup nodded, hesitating a moment before he pulled Wrenlou's sleeve.

'Could... could you ask him if I can make it myself?'

'Make it yourself...?' Hiccup nodded. 'Are you sure?'

'Wren, I can do it. Trust me. All I need is some time. Please ask him.'

Wrenlou turned back to the man. As soon as he had uttered the question, the blacksmith looked at Hiccup and burst out in laughter. Hiccup clenched his jaw. The blacksmith said something to Wrenlou, shaking his head, still laughing. Hiccup turned his gaze to the ground. It hurt. The man was laughing at him, and it hurt. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He had expected it to be Wrenlou, but it was the blacksmith.

'You... make?' The man asked in broken Norse.

Hiccup nodded. 'I can do it, really. Please.'

The smith frowned and looked at Wrenlou, who quickly translated Hiccup's words. The man nodded slowly, eyeing the boy in front of him. Then he stepped aside, and with a wide arm gesture indicated the forge.

'You make!'

Hiccup looked up to the man. Did that mean...? Before he could say anything, the smith gently pushed him inside the forge. He handed him an apron which was two sizes too big, and showed him where the tools were. Then he stepped aside, staying just outside the forge.

He was all too aware of the eyes that were watching him. The blacksmith, he didn't even know his name, was standing at the entrance, his arms crossed. The man was watching his every move and it made him feel a little nervous.

Wrenlou had hopped onto one of the wooded tables, and was just sitting there, his legs swaying back and forth. He was also watching, but with interest and amazement, whereas the blacksmith just looked distrusting.

It had been a while since he had last been in a forge and it felt strange to have a hammer in his hands again, but after a few strikes, he picked up the rythm. A smile crept on his face while he hammered the metal into shape, although his arm started to hurt a lot sooner than it used to.

When he looked up, he found both Wrenlou and the blacksmith staring at him. The former was smiling widely, the latter was just staring, his jaw on the ground. He smiled sheepishly and quickly turned around, placing his metal piece back in the fire.

After a few hours of hammering and heating and hammering and heating, the metal started to take shape. Wrenlou had slid off the table, coming closer. Hiccup could see the fascination in his eyes. Somehow it felt good to be able to show his savior what he was capable of doing with metal, fire and a hammer. The blacksmith had also come closer, muttering under his breath.

He felt pride rise while he sharpened his newly made dagger. It had taken him half the day to get the thing done, but it was a work of art. It looked a lot like his old one, but was slightly bigger. He had engraved his initials, HHH, just below the hilt.

'Hiccup... that is bloody amazing.'

He looked up, his eyes meeting Wrenlou's. He smiled shyly, eyes shifting to the ground. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw the blacksmith standing next to him, one hand out demanding the weapon. A little hesitant he placed it in the man's huge hands. The smith turned it around, trying to find some flaw, but finding none. He nodded in approval, and said something while he handed Hiccup the dagger back.

Two pairs of eyes staring at him like no one had ever looked at him before, made him feel really uncomfortable. They were looking at him with amazement, pride even. They were looking at him like he was worth something. They saw him and his abilities.

'I don't know how you just did that, but that was amazing. Really!'

'Thanks...' Hiccup mumbled.

He wrapped his arms around himself, staring at the ground. A hand lifted his chin and he looked into the eyes of the blacksmith.

'You make... good.'

A wide smile spread across his face as he felt pride wash over him. Someone acknowledged his work as good. He held the dagger with both hands, trying to stop them from shaking with excitement.

'T...thank you... for letting me use the forge.'

Wrenlou had to translate, but as soon as he had, the smith started laughing. Not the condescending laugh from before, but a warm, openhearted one.

After bidding the man goodbye, they left, walking back to the plaza. Wrenlou was shaking his head while he looked at Hiccup.

'I have said it before, and I will say it again. That was amazing! How do you do that!'

'I... I don't really know... why did he let me use the forge? He didn't know me at all.'

'Because I convinced him to trust you. Can I see that?'

Hiccup handed him the dagger and Wrenlou studied it from all sides. He shook his head again.

'I can't believe you made this in so little time. It's incredible. You would make a good blacksmith one day. I have one question thought. What does HHH stand for?'

'My full name. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock.'

Wrenlou raised an eyebrow. 'Horrendous...?'

'Don't say it. Let's just stick with Hiccup please.'

'Don't worry. I will never call you Horrendous. Who names their child Horrendous...'

'Vikings do. Don't ask. What else do I need to pack?'

'Right... packing...' Wrenlou handed Hiccup the dagger again. 'Clothes. Notebook. What's in your saddlebags?'

'Em... I'm not sure... there was a canteen with water in there, a bowl, a spoon...'

'Good. All very essential. Add some bandages to that, and you have the basics right there.'

'Basics?'

Wrenlou nodded and stepped out of the way when a Night Fury dashed through the street, followed by another.

'We must have a few things in our saddlebags at all times. Water, bandages, a bowl, a spoon, a second knife. If I hadn't brought all that, you would have bled out on your way to the city.'

'But I don't have a second knife yet.'

'Don't worry about it. Alright. You go up to your room and start collecting everything. I'll go get a bunch of oranges.'

Hiccup nodded and started walking across the plaza. Then he turned around to Wrenlou.

'Bring lots!'

Wrenlou waved a hand at him and Hiccup smiled. He was almost at the door that led to the stairs to his room, when he remembered Toothless was still somewhere on the plaza. He looked around the mass of dragons, but finding a black dragon among black dragons, was really hard. He sighed and was about to give up, when he spotted a speck of white. He called out to the white dragon, and as soon as she spotted him, she bounced over. Toothless was right behind her.

'Toothless! There you are. I think you should wait here for Wrenlou, okay?'

The white dragon bobbed her head and turned away from him. Hiccup jumped on Toothless back and quickly flew up to his room. Somewhere at the back of his head a nagging voice kept repeating that he wasn't allowed to fly, but he didn't even care anymore.

His clothes were quickly gathered, he didn't have that many. He was sketching when Wrenlou flew in, Snowflake shaking her wings before she sailed down to the plaza again. Wrenlou threw a bag on the bed, some oranges rolling out.

'Here you go. All I could find. They won't last for six months, but you can survive without them, right?'

Hiccup nodded. He couldn't resist to pick one up to eat it. He looked up when Wrenlou sat down next to him.

'Got everything?'

'I think so. Got my clothes... My dagger... Oh! Sword!'

He jumped up, some of the oranges rolling of the bed. He picked the sword from the chair and walked it over to the bed, putting in next to his clothes. After picking the oranges from the ground and stuffing them back into the bag, he sat down again.

'What do we do now?'

'Wait. We could go to the Hall, hear more music. Walk around the city some more.'

'Can't we leave now?'

Wrenlou shook his head. They expect us tomorrow. So we have to show up tomorrow.'

'Okay. Can we go to the Hall?'

'Absolutely. We're going to have to take the stairs though.'

'I don't care. Will you take you violin to the Hall? Play there?'

'Eh...' Wrenlou ran a hand over the still visible welt from the broken string. 'I prefer not. I don't play well with an audience. And the strings still have to settle. I really, really, don't want this to happen again.'

He gesture to his face while he opened the door. Toothless crooned and trotted after them, but Hiccup stopped him.

'You stay here bud. I'll bring you some fish. Get some extra rest. Tomorrow the lazy days are over again.'

The dragon wailed, but his wail turned into a yawn and he sauntered over to the bed, curling up on the ground next to it. Hiccup softly closed the door and followed Wrenlou down the stairs. He was excited about tomorrow, and yet he was somewhat scared.

He had no idea what he would find, and that scared him.

But he would be with other riders, learning new things, and that excited him.

When he stepped onto the plaza, excitement won from his fear. He had Toothless. He had Wrenlou. His new life was about to start, really start, he would make sure he enjoyed every moment of it.

_Alright! That was the second story! Starting the third after this. Hope you enjoyed it, please let me know!_


	13. No One Is To Blame

_Okay, so before I post the third story about Learners Bay, I had to write this. This is a little one-shot that popped in my mind at dinner. It's written from Stoick's point of view, describing the first few months after Hiccup ran away, or as the vikings believe, was taken by a dragon. There will probably be more of these one-shots focusing on the vikings, maybe Astrid and Gobber too, but no promises at this moment._

_Let me know what you think! _

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**No One Is To Blame, One-shot**

_I was pushing through the dense forest. The emotions swirling within me were mixed. At one side I had never been happier. My son had been chosen to kill the dragon! He would finally become a man, the viking I always wanted him to be. But the other side was nagging. The other side had seen Hiccup's expression when Gothi choose him, had seen his despair._

_He had left as soon as he could and last I saw him, he was running into the forest. I had attempted to follow him, but soon lost him because he was so small he could reach places I never could._

_'Hiccup! Hiccup, where are you! I want to talk to you! Just talk...'_

_No answer came._

_I didn't really expect it to. For as long as I could remember, Hiccup avoided confrontations with me as the plague. When he had been younger, he had been cheerful, his eyes always seeing the wonders of the world, but over the years as he aged, he had lost that cheer and it had been replaced with sarcasm. He started avoiding me more and more, only talking to me when he had to. I had no idea how to get through to him. I was a single father who lost his wife to soon after the birth of his first and only son, I had no idea how to raise a child, let alone talk to him._

_'Hiccup! Come back here at once!'_

_I forced my way through the forest, trying to find the path Hiccup had taken, but I failed. A very unpleasant feeling started to form in my heart. Something was wrong. Something wasn't as it should be. Branches snapped under my weight, leaves got stuck in my beard, my bearskin cloak got snagged on trees more that once, but I didn't care. I had to find Hiccup. He was in danger, I could sense it. The little hairs at the back of my neck were standing upright, a shudder ran down my spine as I suddenly stood frozen._

_Something large was moving through the forest. And it was most likely a dragon._

_Then I heard the scream._

_It sounded like a child in distress, but not just any child._

_It was __my__ child._

_'Hiccup! Hiccup where are you!'_

_I pushed forward, using my size to simply break through the trees. Branches and twigs snapped as I pushed towards that scream a knot forming in my stomach. As I broke a tree that was standing in my way, the wood splintering when I pulled it apart, there was a second sound that made my blood go cold._

_The roar of a dragon._

_My eyes grew wide and I stood frozen for only a moment, then I rushed forward with renewed energy. Hiccup's voice pierced the air again, but he wasn't screaming this time._

_He was crying for help._

_He was crying for __me__._

_I broke one more tree out of my way, then I saw him. Hiccup, __my__ Hiccup, scrambling across the forest floor. He was running, or trying to. He stumbled, his clothes becoming torn. From this distance I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was crying. I had heard it in his voice before._

_A dragon roared, obviously angered, and Hiccup screamed again._

_And that's when I saw the gigantic head of a Monstrous Nightmare appear through the trees. Branches snapped like twigs under the weight of the dragon as he went after the child. Hiccup ran, screaming and crying. _

_It was clear to me that he was terrified. _

_It was clear to me that he was in danger, grave danger, and yet I did nothing._

_I couldn't do anything besides stare as Hiccup tripped, tumbling down a slope, his fall softened by a pile of leaves. Before he could get up, the head of the dragon snapped down, latching onto his leg and pulling him into the air._

_I watched frozen as he dangled between the Nightmare's jaws, his blood curdling cry of agony piercing my ears, and yet I was still powerless to do anything._

_My legs felt like they were made of stone, and kept me in my place._

_My tongue had never been as dry before and I couldn't make a sound._

_All I could do was stare at the dragon that was going to kill my son in front of my eyes._

_The Nightmare flung his precious prey into the air and opened his wings. Before the boy hit the ground, he was grabbed by the dragon, another agonized scream escaping his lips as I saw one of the dragon's talons pierce his side._

_He went limp soon after, his cries fading. Blood was trickling from his mangled leg, hanging in a strange angle, almost completely torn off. He was bleeding badly from the wound in his side, where the dragon still had a hold on him._

_I could swear that I heard his voice in a broken, helpless whisper before his head fell back and the dragon carried his limp body, his dead body, with him to their accursed nest._

_And still all I could do was stare. _

_I hated myself for it. How could I let this beast kill my only son? How could I just stand here, frozen like a deer surrounded by dogs? _

_I, Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan tribe, the most feared dragon killer in all of Berk, had just let a dragon take my only son._

_I had let the beast attack him._

_I had let that beast __kill__ the only thing I had left of my wife._

_I had let a dragon kill the future chief of Berk. _

_No one was to blame, only me._

_No one had been here, seeing what I just saw._

_No one was to blame._

_It was my fault._

0-0-0-0-0-0

I shot up, sweat trickling from my forehead and stinging my eyes, mixing with the tears on my cheeks. It took a moment before I realized that I had been dreaming again. No one had actually seen Hiccup being taken by a dragon, but my experiences on the matter filled in the rest after we had found the tracks.

For weeks after I had held hope.

Hope that we would find him.

Hope that he was just hiding somewhere and would show up soon enough.

Hope that faded with every day he wasn't here.

I took a shuddering breath before I slipped out of bed, my bare feet touching the cold floor. I shivered, but didn't pull a tunic over my head. I didn't care about the cold.

My feet tentatively led me to the door of Hiccup's room and my hand hovered over the doorknob. It had been months since his disappearance, and I hadn't been in his room once since he went missing. I always felt that I would be violating something if I did, that I would destroy the memories I had of him.

But when I finally found the courage to open the door and step inside, I found that the memories flooded me from all sides.

I saw his helmet, the one I had given him not long before he disappeared, still hanging on his bedpost.

I saw the little toy Nadder that his mother had made for him, still standing besides his pillow.

I saw his desk, still covered with drawings and ideas, papers still scattered on the floor around it.

I saw the door to his closet, still opened a little, his clothes still inside it.

It was like he never left.

Everything was where he left it, everything was like it had been when he had actually been living here. I took a step forward, but grief took me.

I could see it now.

The longing behind the mask, the loneliness behind the smile, the desire to be loved, accepted by his clan.

To be loved and accepted by _me_.

I sank to the floor, hugging my chest. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat, but I couldn't. All he had wanted was for people to accept him, for people to see him for what he was.

He had tried, time and time again to earn my love, while he had it all along.

He just never knew, because I never showed it. Because I never treated him like a father should treat a son.

I could see that now, and it only aggravated my grief.

My son had died alone, wounded and scared, screaming for help that never came. That much I knew. I could only hope that the dragon had killed him quickly, that his suffering was over before it began, but I had no way of knowing.

My beard became wet with the tears rolling over my cheeks as I sat there in Hiccup's room. It had been months, but it still hurt...

I had lost my wife to a dragon, and then I had lost my son the same way.

And no one was to blame, but me.

All my actions, all my words directed towards the boy, all the times I didn't listen had led to the moment where he had gone into the woods, instead of coming home to celebrate with me. He had rather been alone than with his father, getting ready for the fight.

And it had cost him dearly.

It had cost him his life.

And it was my fault.

All of it was my fault.

No one was to blame for his death.

No one was to blame.

No one.

Only me.

0-0-0-0-0-0

_So sorry for the depressing words... I had to write this before I lost it again. Just a little one-shot about Stoick's feelings. Think of it what you like, but please share your feelings on this. It was kind of... experimental. _

_Alright! Let's leave the depression behind okay? After this it's back to Hiccup!_


	14. Learners Bay, Part I

_Third story! Takes place directly after the previous one, so no time jumps. I don't really like time jumps, to me they prove lack of inspiration and laziness, so most stories will be following each other closely. Of course, there will be minor time jumps... just minor ones._

_Hiccup finally gets to Learners Bay! Now it's time to start learning..._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Learners Bay, Part I**

'Hiccup? Are you ready?'

Hiccup turned around. Wrenlou was standing behind him, Snowflake next to him. The dragon had been saddled already and both were watching him with expecting eyes. He turned away from them and looked around the room. In the short time he had been here, it already felt like home. He stared at his feet and fumbled with the seem of his shirt. When he felt a hand on his shoulder he looked up again, his eyes meeting Wrenlou's.

'Is something wrong?'

Hiccup shook his head and turned away from Wrenlou. He didn't want to show his friend that he was terrified. Toothless cooed softly and he looked at the dragon, smiling weakly. He had yet to saddle him.

'Hiccup, what's wrong?'

'I'm scared okay? I'm scared of what they'll think of me, I'm scared that they'll make fun of Toothless, I'm scared I won't be good enough!'

'Hiccup...'

'No! You don't understand! I have been mocked all my life, everyone always telling me I was a disaster, a failure. They called me useless just because I couldn't lift a sword. My own father didn't want me. I just don't want to be rejected again...'

He heard Wrenlou sigh and he turned back, desperately trying to fight back the tears. He didn't even know where the sudden fear came from. He had been immensely excited when Wrenlou had told him they would leave for Learners Bay, but as the day grew closer, he had become more and more scared that they wouldn't like him.

'Hiccup, no one will reject you, no one will make fun of Toothless, believe me. Do you think that riders are the only ones losing limbs out there? Starstruck, the dragon of our teacher, is missing half a wing. They will be impressed that you managed to create an artificial tailfin for him, restoring his flight. And you don't have to be good to join the group. We didn't start out as flying prodigies. I mean, you should have seen my first flight, I was terrified, I thought I would die.'

Hiccup looked up at him, his lip trembling. Wrenlou smiled then pulled him in a hug, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He stiffened at the sudden embrace, Wrenlou had never hugged him before. It felt strange to be in the arms of the one that rescued him from certain death. But it also brought out a certain longing. He wanted, no, _needed,_ human companionship just as much as he needed Toothless. He needed Wrenlou. He wrapped his arms around Wrenlou's waist and pressed his head against his chest. Wrenlou's chin rested on top of his head, and he realized he just fitted under it. Wrenlou was almost a head bigger than he was.

'You're not useless Hiccup. You have you're own talents. You just made a dagger yesterday! I'm sure that in time, you will see what you're are capable off, just as I see it now.'

This made Hiccup pull away and he stared at the older boy. 'You really think so?'

Wrenlou smiled warmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. 'Yes I do. I know you're afraid, I mean, meeting new people can be challenging, especially when you don't speak their language, but you're not alone anymore. I'm not leaving you on your own. Now get that dragon ready and meet me in the plaza, okay?'

Hiccup nodded, a smile forming on his lips. He brushed the unshed tears from his face and turned to Toothless. The dragon was looking at him with worried eyes, but they soon lit up when he saw the smile on his riders face. He didn't need to look at Wrenlou to know he had already hopped on Snowflake's back, the gush of wind from her wings as she took off did that for him. He took a deep breath and picked the saddle from the bed. Upon seeing this, Toothless bounded over towards him and nudged his shoulder. Hiccup chuckled as he turned to the impatient dragon.

'You're going to have to sit still if you want me to get this on you.'

Toothless wailed and continued his running around for a bit more, only stopping when Hiccup yelled at him to sit still. The boy was smiling as he fastened the straps of the saddle. As soon as he was done, Toothless jumped up again, running to the edge of the room. It was very clear that he didn't share Hiccup's anxiety over the issue of leaving the city. Hiccup sighed, shaking his head slightly. He tugged on the leather harness Wrenlou had given him, similar to the one he was wearing himself and then strapped the sword around his waist. After gathering his bags and making sure he had everything he needed, he walked to the dragon.

Toothless stayed still this time while he fastened the bags to the saddle and then crouched down to allow the boy to climb on his back. Hiccup clicked the prosthetic into the right position and Toothless spread his wings, simply gliding down to the plaza where Wrenlou was waiting. As soon as Hiccup landed, Snowflake got up from her crouched pose.

'Are you ready? Do you have everything?'

Hiccup nodded, mentally recounting the things he had to take and ticking them off in his mind. He had his notebook, his pencil, he had his clothes, his dagger and his sword... and of course the contends of the saddlebag as Wrenlou had explained it. Bandages, water, bowl... yes, he had everything.

'Then let's go!'

Snowflake spread her wings, Toothless followed her example. Both dragons shot up and spiraled through the city before heading east. They flew silently, Hiccup had his face turned to the wind, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the freedom of flight once again. After a while he turned to Wrenlou.

'Can you tell me about the others?'

'The others...? The other riders you mean?' When Hiccup nodded he sighed. 'I suppose I could. As I told you before, Broghan is my brother. His dragon is called Moonchaser. Then there's Leila and Sephina, and of course the twins.'

Hiccup sat up at this. 'Twins?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Susan and Sharon. Don't be startled when you see them, and don't try to tell them apart. They could be each others reflection. Their dragons are called Skygazer and Windrider, also twins.'

'Wait... the dragons are twins too?'

'Yes. Twin riders and twin dragons. Isn't that great?'

'But... how would you get twin dragons? Did they come from the same egg? Is that even possible?'

Wrenlou chuckled and shifted his weight in Snowflake's saddle. The dragon moved a little closer to Hiccup and Toothless, crooning softly.

'Yes. They did come from the same egg. That choosing was the strangest ever. First the twin dragons, then a white Night Fury. It was weird.'

'Wow...' Hiccup mumbled. He had never realized there could be something like twins dragons. But then again, he had never thought there would be a whole island with Night Fury's.

'And... what about your teacher?'

'Dale? Dale is a good guy, really. Without him, you would have never made it to Dragoncity. He gave me permission to bring you. Anyways, he's like a father figure for us. He looks out for us, protects us. And above all, he teaches us what we need to know. And Starstruck is such an amazing dragon.'

'But how does he teach you to fly, if his own dragon can't fly? I mean, with half a wing...'

'You remember those warm upward winds I took you to? They are also present at the Bay. He flies in them, we fly around them. And she's missing only half her wing, she's not completely banned from flying. She just can't get very high, or go very fast. It's more like... gliding, you know.'

Hiccup nodded slowly, trying to picture a dragon with half a wing. There were so many ways in which a wing could be sliced in half. He turned to Wrenlou again.

'But... what part of her wing is she missing then? I can't... I can't picture it.'

'Alright. Ehm... it's her left wing so... we're on the right side of you, good. Okay, look. If this is her wing...' He gestured to Snowflake's outstretched wing. '...the part she's missing is basically this.' He drew an imaginary line from the bottom half of her wing, fairly close to her body to the top, beyond the joint where she bend it.

'Oh...' Hiccup sat, staring at the wing. 'I can see how that's a problem.' Then something else came to him. 'But downed dragons are dead dragons right? Won't she go mad without being able to fly?'

'She still has some flight left. And with those winds that can carry her up, she can still sense the freedom of flight, just a little more restricted. And besides, when a dragon has a rider, the chances of them going insane are significantly less then when they don't.'

Hiccup bit his nail and focused on where Toothless was going. They were flying above the trees, palm trees he now knew, the sun warm on their faces. He took a shuddering breath, he was still afraid he realized. Still afraid of rejection, even if Wrenlou had assured him things would work out just fine.

'Hiccup. It will be fine, believe me, please.'

He nodded, not entirely sure. From what little Wrenlou had told him about his brother, and after meeting his parents, he had a fairly good idea to Broghan's character. And it wasn't Wrenlou's brother he was afraid of, it was the others. Three girls. He didn't have much experience with girls and what little he had, was coming from Astrid, who would ignore him, or hurt him.

The silence lingered, only broken by the _swoosh_ from the dragon's wings. Hiccup was staring down at Toothless' neck, his worries and doubts repeating in his mind, over and over. He looked up when a shadow fell over him and found that Snowflake had moved from his right side to his left side.

'Hiccup, don't worry about them, okay? You'll have to spend most time with me anyway, until you learn the language.'

Hiccup nodded. He knew that. Now that he thought about it, he realized that part of his fear came from not being able to understand them. He wouldn't even know when they would make fun of him. Despite Wrenlou's assurances that they would do no such thing, it was the main reason for his fear. Instead of pushing the issue, Wrenlou just steered Snowflake up. Toothless followed and soon they broke out above the clouds. From this position they could see almost the entire island, the Night Fury's flying from and to the city, the waves crashing on white beaches. Once again, Hiccup was reminded of how different this island was from Berk and it's rocky shores, dark waters and cold days.

He smiled, holding his arms out to the side. The wind was whipping his hair around his face, pulling on his clothes, but he didn't even leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Toothless' neck. The dragon crooned softly in response. Then he sat up again and turned to Wrenlou.

'Are we there yet?'

'Almost. There it is, look.'

Wrenlou pointed down and Hiccup followed his finger to a bay beneath them. He could see some houses standing around a plaza, no more than tiny dots. Between the tiny dots were even smaller dots, black ones. They were headed to the little plaza.

'Is that it? It looks so small...'

'It is small. Want to land on the plaza or the beach?'

'They are going to the plaza, aren't they? Shouldn't we land there?'

Wrenlou shrugged. 'No one told me I'm supposed to land on the plaza. So where do you want to land?'

'Em...' Hiccup scratched the back of his neck, looking from the tiny black dots on the little plaza, to the inviting white sand of the beach. 'Can't we take the beach?'

'Of course we can!'

Wrenlou leaned forward and Snowflake folded her wings against her sides. They shot down towards the beach, Toothless following in close pursuit. It wasn't until the very last moment that Snowflake opened her wings and almost crash landed on the beach, sending a fountain of sand into the air as she slipped a little. Toothless landed a little more controlled with a little hop before he folded his wings.

'Well...' Wrenlou said, sliding of Snowflake's back. 'Welcome to Learners Bay.'

Before Hiccup could answer, something slammed into Wrenlou, knocking him of his feet. They tumbled over the sand and when they stopped Hiccup could see it was a girl with long brown hair. She was sitting on Wrenlou's chest, his arms pinned to the ground.

'Wrenlou!'

She pulled him up and hugged him tight. He returned her hug half heartedly, patting her back.

'Hey Leila...'

'It's so good to see you again!' She shrieked in his ear while she let go. 'You have no idea...'

She was shoved aside by a boy, not much taller than Wrenlou was. Hiccup could clearly see the resemblance between Wrenlou and the other, and realized that this was his brother, Broghan.

'Hey Broghan.'

'Wrenlou. Good to have you back. You have a lot to catch up... and what happened to your face!'

Broghan tried to grab his chin, bur Wrenlou managed to avoid the hand. He hid the mark on his face by putting his own hand over it, staring at his brother with his green eye.

'Nothing! It's just... the string snapped, okay?'

'String?' Broghan crossed his arms. 'I mean to remember that your bow is still here.'

'Not the bow string.' Wrenlou said with a sigh, lowering his hand as he saw Dale approach. 'From my violin.'

'The violin...? But... that's in Lightcity, with our parents, isn't it?'

'Eh... it was...'

'You've been to Lightcity?!' Broghan blurted out, startling everyone, including Hiccup, who jumped a little. Dale frowned.

'Eh.. yes?'

Immediately, Wrenlou was bombarded with questions. Hiccup saw him back away, his hands over his ears, but he was laughing. Dale was the one that silenced the group, and the first to notice Hiccup. He said something and Hiccup's eyes flew to Wrenlou, silently begging him for help. Wrenlou straightened his back.

'Get off the dragon Hiccup, they don't bite.'

Hiccup bit his lip, the slid of Toothless. The dragon crooned softly, but then sat down on the sand, his tail curled around him.

'Guys, this is Hiccup. Hiccup, meet Dale, Broghan, Leila, Sharon and Susan.'

Hiccup smiled as Wrenlou alternated between languages fluently. Wrenlou's Norse had become quite good over their time together, and he still couldn't speak a word of the language of the island. Okay, not true. He knew some word. He raised his hand and waved weakly.

'H... hi...'

Toothless growled loudly, joining in with his greeting. The older man, Dale, crossed his arms as he looked at him and he shrunk back against the dragon.

'Well, he certainly looks better than the last time I saw him. It's good to have you back.'

Dale walked closer to Wrenlou, putting a hand on his shoulder. He frowned when he saw the mark across his face, running a finger over it. Then he turned around to Hiccup and held out his hand. Hiccup frowned. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. The it dawned on him and he felt stupid. He reached out his own hand and Dale took it in a firm handshake. The the man turned to the teenagers on the beach, each flanked by their dragons.

'Let us go to the Hall. There you can tell us all about yourself Hiccup. With the help of Wrenlou of course, because I understand that you don't quite speak our language just yet. Come on.'

'Wren? Where are we going?' Hiccup whispered a little nervous.

'The Hall. They want to know about you. I'm going to translate a lot tonight.'

Broghan came up next to his brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. 'So Wrenlou. How did you learn his language?'

'I read a lot.' When he saw Broghan's skeptical face, he persisted. 'No really, I read a lot. It wasn't hard. He's from the Northern Lands. Dad's been there too.'

'So you really have been back home.'

Wrenlou nodded, crossing his arms. 'Hiccup wanted to see Lightcity, and we had some time. We went a few days ago. It was nice to see them again.'

Broghan smiled, glancing at the boy on Wrenlou's right. 'I bet it was.' He poked his brother's shoulder, Wrenlou yelped at the sudden flash of pain.

'What'd you do that for!'

'That's for flying off for five damn weeks. Do you realize you just had a vacation? Do you realize you missed five weeks?'

'Believe me, I know. I wouldn't want it any other way though. I mean, he's... what is it?'

Hiccup had pulled Wrenlou's sleeve, looking up at him with a question in his eyes. He pointed to Starstruck.

'How did it happen?'

'You mean her wing?' When Hiccup nodded, Wrenlou sighed. 'It's a long story. I don't even know the details. You should have to ask Dale, but I'm not sure he'll tell you. He blames himself, that's all I know. That, and it happened in a battle between the riders of Dragoncity and a Titan Wing from Titan Island.' When he saw Hiccup's confused face, he sighed. 'I will explain all that later okay? It's not important at the moment. Just one more thing you'll have to learn.'

Hiccup smiled. He hadn't realized how much he had to learn until they arrived here. And seeing others his age, riding dragons like him, was something he never thought he would see. He looked at Dale and the dragon next to him. There was no doubt about the missing wing, he could see it in the way she held it against her body. Looking back at Toothless' tailfin, a plan had already started to form in his head. What if he could remake the wing like he had Toothless' tail...?

He didn't have the chance to even think about it further, because the moment he stepped into the Hall, his jaw dropped. It was a smaller version of the Hall in Dragoncity, but that wasn't why he stood frozen, staring at the room.

The entire room was decorated. The table was set with all kinds of different foods, candles set around it. He looked around for Wrenlou, but didn't see him anywhere until he felt arms wrap around him from behind.

'This is for you Hiccup.' Wrenlou whispered in his ear, gesturing to the table.

He pulled himself out of Wrenlou's embrace, turning around. 'What do you mean?'

'It's for you. A welcome. A feast in your honour. Come on, sit down.'

Hiccup was to baffled and simply allowed Wrenlou to drag him to one of the benches. He couldn't help but stare around the Hall, the other riders, chatting with each other like it was just any ordinary day. The girl that had jumped Wrenlou on the beach, Leila, sat down next to him, smiling and she started talking to him. He didn't understand a word she was saying and he looked at Wrenlou.

'Leila. Leila... Leila!'

She looked up at Wrenlou, smiling apologetically at his words.

'What did she say?' Hiccup asked. Now he wanted to answer their questions.

'Let's just eat first, okay? After that, we can try to get some questions answered.'

Hiccup nodded and was about to dig in, when he suddenly remembered the oranges that were still on Toothless' saddle.

'Wrenlou? The oranges...'

'I'll go get them. Hang on.'

Wrenlou was back quickly, depositing the bag of oranges on Hiccup's lap. 'You might have to share though.' He said while sitting back down.

Hiccup shrugged. 'That's okay. It's not like I own them, right.'

'Nope!' Wrenlou said cheerfully, snatching the bag from Hiccup's lap again. 'I do!'

Hiccup started laughing. He couldn't help it. Now that he was here, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It had nowhere been as bad as he thought it would be. He hadn't realized that the only time they had seen him, was when he was injured, nearly dying. They didn't know the boy Wrenlou refused to leave, but they were eager to find out. A warm feeling spread through his when Wrenlou whispered two words in his ear.

'Welcome home.'


	15. Learners Bay, Part II

_Part 2! I know some of you have been nagging me about this chapter... to you I say, the wait is over! It has arrived..._

_Enjoy!_

**The Adventurous Adventures of Hiccup and Wrenlou**

**Learners Bay, Part II**

'What the hell is he doing?'

'Has he gone mad?'

'He's gonna die, isn't he?'

'Wrenlou, maybe you should go save him again!'

'Oh my gods, what is he thinking?'

Wrenlou could only stare at Hiccup. Today was flying lessons, but Dale had wanted to see what Hiccup already knew before he wanted to include him in the class. Hiccup had done whatever Dale had asked, translated by Wrenlou. He had flown in circles, taking off and landed a dozen times over, made the tightest turns he could muster and Toothless had fired a few plasma blasts.

And now he had just jumped off the dragon.

He had _jumped off_ the dragon!

They were falling next to each other. Hiccup had his arms tucked to his sides, Much in the same fashion Toothless had his wings pulled in. the dragon made no move to catch the boy, simply falling along side him as they plummeted towards the ground.

Wrenlou had his hands clenched so tight he could feel his nails digging into his palms. He was biting his lip, seriously fighting the urge to take Snowflake, pluck Hiccup out of the sky and slap him senseless. He knew Hiccup trusted the dragon to catch him, he knew the dragon trusted Hiccup. After all, Toothless put his life and ability to fly in Hiccup's hand every time they went up, but this was beyond any trust exercise he had ever seen before.

Toothless moved and caught Hiccup just in time. They swooped over the sea, the water splashing up high in their wake and landed on the beach, in front of the baffled teens. Hiccup slid of the dragon, smiling shyly when he saw the look on their faces. Wrenlou was the first to gather his wits and he stepped forward.

'Don't you ever do that again damn it!'

Hiccup looked up at him, their eyes meeting. There was a frown on Wrenlou's face and Hiccup smiled again. Wrenlou shook his head, laughing.

'Man, that was awesome. I think you scared all of us pretty good there.'

'Sorry. But you dared me to show you my most dangerous stunt when we were at the bay, and so I did.'

'Dale would kill me if I tried that.' Wrenlou mumbled. 'And so would Broghan.'

Hiccup chuckled and rubbed Toothless' head. Ever since Wrenlou had dared him to show him his most dangerous stunt, he had been itching to show them this one. He looked at the faces, all staring at him in shock. He had been here only a day, and he had already shown them what he was made of, what he could do.

At long last, Dale cleared his throat. 'Well... I can certainly say you are way ahead of the group.'

Wrenlou sighed before translating Dale's words for Hiccup. The boy smiled and stared at the ground. All the positive attention made him a little nervous. He had just showed something he was good at, flying, but what when it came to showing his skills with a sword? He couldn't do that.

Dale started speaking again, undoubtedly explaining today's lesson, and he pulled Wrenlou's sleeve.

'Shh, hang on. I'll explain when he's done.'

Hiccup nodded and started scratching Toothless' chin. He looked at the other riders. Dale was standing in front of the group, Starstruck was sitting next you him. She had folded her wings so tightly, it wasn't possible to see what part was missing from what wing. His gaze shifted to Leila, her dragon laying on the ground behind her. What had the dragon's name been? Sephina... yes, it was Sephina. He eyed the girl and frowned. Her hair may be brown, but her eyes were just like Astrid's. They had the same colour of blue, the same shine. He quickly looked at the twins.

Both girls had taken the same pose, arms crossed, leaning on their right leg. They were almost identical. Both had short blond hair, darker that Astrid's had been. He sight, rubbing his face. Again with the Astrid reference. He pushed the memory back and looked at the twins again. The way they were standing there, the way they looked at Dale, the way they nodded at the same moment, was almost like staring into a mirror. They were the same in everything. Even their dragons were reflections of each other. Granted, it was very hard to find differences between one black Night Fury and another, but with these to it wasn't just in the colour. It was in the little mannerisms. The way both dragons cocked their heads the same way, the way they curled their tails around their paws, the way they seemed to understand each other just like that was downright astounding.

And then there was Broghan. Even though his hair and eyes were brown, the resemblance between him and Wrenlou was clearly visible. Broghan looked more like his father, he had the same broad built and the same hair, while Wrenlou had his mother's slim frame and hair. And then there was the matter of the eyes. In many cases, the eye colour of the dragon matched the one of their rider. Toothless had green eyes, so did he. Even Wrenlou with his dual colored eyes shared that with his dragon. Leila also shared her eye colour with her dragon, the others did not. When Hiccup looked back at Dale and Starstruck, he found that they too shared their eye colour. He frowned and wondered if there was more to it than just a coincidence.

Dale ended his explanation and pointed at Leila. The girl sighed and poked her dragon. Sephina got to her feet, yawning widely. Leila mounted the dragon and took the blindfold from Dale. Getting a little scared, Hiccup turned to Wrenlou.

'Wren? What are we supposed to do?'

'Here's the idea. You get on the dragon, you get blindfolded, then you have to fly through that.' Wrenlou pointed to a maze of sea stacks. 'We call them the water gates.'

'I have to fly through that while I can't see?'

'It's about trust. Trust the dragon to tell you what to do.'

'But...' Hiccup looked back at Toothless, the dragon nudging Moonchaser's side, trying to get her attention. 'I have to control his tail!'

'Yes, and you do it perfectly. But you also have to be able to do it when you can't see, and he can. If you can do it with your eyes closed, you never have to worry about dark places.'

'I... I guess...'

'And besides, with that stunt you just pulled, this will be easy for you, right?'

Hiccup shrugged. He had flown at night before, but then he had the light of the moon and the starts, or a lantern to guide him. This time, he would be flying blind. He turned around to the sea stack again. They really did look like gates. He squinted a little, looking at the way the rock formations rose above the water, trying to memorize them. Leila came flying towards the beach, her dragon almost crash landing. She yanked the blindfold away from her eyes, panting.

'That was the scariest thing I have ever done!'

Dale nodded slowly. 'You did good. We will discuss it later, when we all went. Wrenlou, you're up next.'

'Great...'

Wrenlou sighed and took the blindfold from Leila. He shot a glance at Hiccup, before he mounted Snowflake. Hiccup smiled at and Wrenlou took a deep breath before he tied the black strip of cloth around his eyes. He gripped the saddle and Snowflake took off, racing towards the water gates.

The white dragon zigzagged through the stone gates, her rider following her movement. It looked incredibly easy, but Hiccup knew that it most likely wasn't. Snowflake landed a little better then Sephina had done and Wrenlou slipped the blindfold from his eyes, smiling widely.

'Good girl.' He whispered, rubbing Snowflake's nose.

Dale nodded at him, then turned to Broghan. 'Your turn.'

Broghan left and Hiccup turned to Wrenlou. 'Have you done this before?'

Wrenlou nodded. 'Only once. I have done it only once. I have no idea what I missed out on the past five weeks so they could have done it more. Although, I must say that the first time we did this, Leila nearly crashed because she believed she knew it better than Sephina, even if the dragon was the one that could see.'

Hiccup chuckled when he watched the twins go one by one, but he also felt a little nervous. He was up next. With shaking hands he took the piece of cloth from one of the twins, he didn't know who, and looked over at Wrenlou. He made sure the tailfin was in the right position for taking off, then tied the blindfold around his eyes. Toothless crooned concerned and he placed his hand on the dragon's head.

'We can do this bud. You and me. Together.'

Toothless crooned again and opened his wings. After a nudge from Hiccup, he sprang into the air. He clenched onto the saddle, trying to feel the movement of the dragon's body so he could react with the tailfin. He knew the prosthetic posed a disadvantage for Toothless and him, but he was determined to show he could do this just as well as any other.

The dragon swerved to the left and he reacted immediately, changing the prosthetic to the third position. They avoided the rock easily and Toothless ducked lower. Again, Hiccup felt the dragon move and altered the tailfin to the right position.

They managed to make all the turns, but the last one got a little close. The dragon suddenly jerked back, screeching and Hiccup widened his eyes. Of course, the blindfold kept him from seeing much, so he just slammed the tailfin in the first position, hoping it was the right one. As it turned out, it was. Toothless barrel rolled passed the rock before leveling out and landing shortly after.

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief when he felt Toothless land and pulled the blindfold from his eyes. He was greeted by applause and he bit his lip, turning his eyes to the ground. All the attention made him nervous. He slid of the dragon and Wrenlou came up to him.

'You look like you're quite a capable flyer. The way I see it, you have nothing to worry about.'

'I can fly, yes.' Hiccup mumbled. 'But I can't use a sword.'

'Well, sword fighting is tomorrow, so don't worry about it yet. It will be fine. Right now, we have a race. As in, who is the fastest. Come on Hiccup, this will be great.'

Hiccup smiled. A race. A dragon race. He looked back to Toothless, the dragon cocked his head at him.

'Come on bud. We're going racing.'

The dragon crooned and bounced around in circled before Hiccup had calmed him. He realized that it was new for him, but Toothless hadn't flown with other Night Fury's in a long time. Sure, they had flown with Wrenlou and Snowflake, but not with a whole group. As soon as his rider was on his back, the dragon spread his wings and took off after the others. Dale stayed on the ground and somewhere he realized that this wasn't really a training exercise, just something for fun. The dragons lined up and Hiccup steered Toothless next to Wrenlou.

'Wren? What's the meaning of it all?'

Wrenlou smiled. 'First one to Palm Beach Island. It's not really about anything, just to see who's the fastest.'

'But... what way is Palm Beach Island!'

Wrenlou pointed straight ahead along the coastline. 'About two miles that way. You'll know it when you see it. It's an island in the rough shape of a palm leaf.'

Hiccup nodded and tightened his grip on the saddle. He leaned forward and glanced at the other riders. They were all leaning forward and when Starstruck roared loudly, they took off.

Moonchaser took the lead, Snowflake close behind. Toothless was on Snowflake's tail. Hiccup bit his lip and changed the prosthetic. The new position allowed Toothless to pick up speed and they shot past Wrenlou and Snowflake, following Moonchaser closely. Broghan glanced back, his eyes widening when he saw who was on his tail. He nudged Moonchaser forward, but Toothless accelerated with her, and when the small island came into view, Toothless shot past the dragon and was now first.

Hiccup's eyes widened with this realization and he leaned forward so much that his head was resting on Toothless' skin. The Night Fury tucked his wings to his body and dove down, landing on the island in a spray of sand. The other dragons came in no different, all landing roughly on the soft sand.

Hiccup was practically dancing on the back of the dragon and the others started laughing at his enthusiasm.

'Well, he's fast, that's for sure.'

His smile widened at Wrenlou's words and he hugged Toothless. The dragon crooned and attempted to lick his face. Hiccup pushed him away, laughing. While he looked around the group, the other riders all dismounting and walking to the water, his smile grew wider.

'Wren? Don't we have to go back?'

Wrenlou shook his head. 'Midday we're always off. We always spend it here, but we just started making the trip here a little more fun, you know? Besides, racing is a sort of training. So relax, we have two hours before we're due back in the Bay.'

Before Hiccup could answer, he was almost run over by a Night Fury running past him, followed by another. The first was holding a broken tree in her mouth, the second trying to get it. Soon, al the young dragons had joined in and Toothless crooned questioningly. Hiccup shrugged.

'Go ahead, have some fun.'

Toothless wailed loudly as he joined in the game. Hiccup walked over to the other riders and sat down next to Wrenlou. He took a deep breath and took the orange from him.

He didn't realize he was smiling as he stared out over the ocean, listening to the chatter next to him and the growling, wailing, crooning and cooing of the dragons.

He didn't realize how quickly he had integrated into the little group until Leila sat down on his other side, smiling at him. Even though he didn't understand a word she was saying, it was the gesture that lifted all residual doubt from his shoulders. All his fear that they wouldn't like him proved to be unjust. And judging by the way Toothless was now playing with the other dragons, they had both been accepted.

He rested his head on Wrenlou's shoulder, the older boy absentmindedly petting his hair and smiled. This was going to be better that he had thought.

This was going to be great.


End file.
